WASHINGTON — Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) had a female staffer “scared lowkey” after making seemingly romantic advances toward her and another woman who worked in his Capitol Hill office as part of a pattern of “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct,” according to a House Ethics Committee report released Monday.
Edwards “went beyond norms of professional behavior by giving both women lavish gifts,” “commenting on the two women’s appearance” and “inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations,” the 20-page report found.
At one point, the North Carolina Republican arranged for a singer to appear at one of the women’s birthday parties to sing Ed Sheeran’s song “Hills of Aberfeldy” — and tell her the appearance was “from a special someone,” the report stated.
“The Committee received evidence that Staffer 2 told a friend this led her to believe that the Congressman did not view her as ‘just a daughter figure’ and that she was ‘scared lowkey.’”
The Ethics Committee has recommended the full House censure Edwards for his conduct toward the female staffers.
Edwards, in the report, was quoted as having “denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, [but] his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such,” according to the 10-member bipartisan committee.
The Republican’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
