Chuck Edwards

The House has not yet acted on censure.

Constituent outreach was postponed for dinner with aide

Four roll call votes went unanswered

ASHEVILLE - U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards skipped House votes to decorate a young female staffer’s Christmas tree and canceled a tele-town hall with his constituents so he could meet her for dinner, text messages released by the House Ethics Committee Aug. 3 show.

The first exchange occurred while the woman, identified only as Staffer 2, worked in Edwards’ congressional office. On Dec. 15, 2024, Edwards offered to work on the staffer’s lawn and decorate her tree, saying the visit would give him another opportunity to spend time with her.

“What if I skip votes and help you decorate your tree once you get home tomorrow?” Edwards wrote.

The staffer said she wanted his help but questioned whether he should miss votes. Edwards replied that he was sure he could miss the votes, barring action on a Lumbee tribal recognition bill. The committee report said he skipped House votes that evening.

House records show Edwards missed four roll-call votes Dec. 16, 2024, including votes on autism programs, veterans health care and federal judgeships. All four measures passed. The Lumbee bill was not voted on that night.

Nearly 10 months later, in October 2025, Staffer 2 told Edwards she would be driving through Charlotte and suggested dinner. Edwards, married since 1980, responded that he had canceled a scheduled tele-town hall with constituents so he could attend.

When the former staffer apologized, Edwards said that canceling was his choice, that he would rather have dinner with her and that the tele-town hall had been moved to the following week.

The exchanges were among exhibits released with the bipartisan committee’s Aug. 3 report, which recommended censure after finding Edwards engaged in persistent inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers. The panel found no sexual activity or explicit propositions but concluded his conduct violated the spirit of House rules prohibiting sexual harassment and unwanted advances.

Edwards, a second-term Republican and former state senator, is facing a tightening reelection contest against Democrat and Fairview farmer Jamie Ager.

Nonpartisan political mapping website davesredistricting.org says the 11th Congressional District has performed at 51.9% for Republicans and 45.9% for Democrats from 2020 through 2024, but that base appears to be eroding for Edwards. Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the race from “likely Republican” to “toss-up” last week, while the Cook Political Report rates it “lean Republican.”

Last month, Edwards and his wife, Teresa, announced the sale of all six McDonald’s franchises they owned in Western North Carolina, saying the move would allow him to devote more attention to public service — even though a press release says Teresa stepped in to run the businesses years ago.

Ager said Aug. 3 that his “heart goes out” to the staffers, who only wanted to serve their community.

“We deserve leaders with the moral character Western North Carolina can be proud of,” he said.

Federal Election Commission reports through June 30 show Ager with $3.05 million in total receipts, more than three times Edwards’ $939,985.

‘Exonerated’

Edwards campaign spokesperson Paul Schumaker said in a statement the findings exonerate Edwards under the specific House and federal standards governing sexual misconduct and harassment.

“ … Committee staff has taken it upon themselves to write their own rules based upon an interpretation that is inconsistent with the written rule of law or House rules,” Schumaker said.

Shumaker pointed to the committee’s findings that Edwards did not engage in sexual activity with or explicitly proposition a staffer and that the case did not involve quid pro quo harassment, but didn’t respond to follow-up questions from the Citizen Times on how the report “exonerates” Edwards from the missed votes and cancelled town hall.

The committee instead relied on broader House rules requiring members to observe both the letter and spirit of its rules, writing, “… the Committee found that Representative Edwards violated the House Code of Official Conduct” by failing to prohibit sexual harassment and unwanted advances.

Edwards’ formal response disputes the committee’s authority and process, arguing it bypassed steps normally required before recommending a floor sanction.

In fundraising disclosures, Edwards’ campaign reported two payments to Washington attorney Andrew D. Herman, made April 30 — the day the Ethics probe story broke — and June 10, totaling more than $30,000. Herman and attorney Stanley Brand signed Edwards’ formal response as his counsel.

Herman’s firm biography says he has nearly 25 years of civil and criminal law experience, has argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court in an election-law case and advises officeholders on campaign and governing rules. He has represented dozens of members of Congress in ethics investigations and related proceedings.

The House must still vote to accept or reject the Ethics Committee’s recommendation of censure.

Herman’s experience positions Edwards to press the rules-and-process argument Edwards’ team has signaled, if Edwards indeed challenges the censure recommendation.

Herman did not immediately respond to a call from the Citizen Times Aug. 4.

Reactions

Beth Jones, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party’s 11th Congressional District, rejected claims that the ethics report exonerated Edwards. She called his decision to skip votes and constituent outreach during Western North Carolina’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene “unfathomable.”

Edwards represents the district hit hardest by the Sept. 27, 2024 storm, which killed more than 100 people and caused an estimated $60 billion in damage, and has been criticized for the lagging recovery. Nearly two years after the storm, the state has only received about 15% of the money it needs to recover fully.

Jones said the Ethics Committee’s findings sharpen the contrast between Edwards and Ager.

“I’m very positive about Jamie’s chances in this race,” Jones said.

“I agree with her,” said Michele Woodhouse, a former NC-11 GOP chair who ran against Edwards in the 2022 Primary Election.

Woodhouse referenced the shift from solidly Republican to a toss-up before the ethics report was released, Ager outraising Edwards and Democrats making the district a top target nationally. The findings, she said, make Edwards’ reelection path even more difficult. Like Jones, Woodhouse also rejected claims that the report exonerated Edwards.

“The fact that he missed votes, canceled a town hall — it comes down to dereliction of duty,” Woodhouse said. “Especially in an area where we are still fighting for every dollar to rebuild from Tropical Storm Helene.”

Read the full report at ethics.house.gov.