Chuck Edwards makes last-ditch plea to avoid censure

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) is pleading with his colleagues to reject his censure in a 22-page letter arguing that the House Ethics Committee made an "extraordinary leap" in determining that his behavior amounted to sexual harassment.

Why it matters: Edwards' aggressive defense of his conduct — allegations that ultimately caused him to drop his reelection bid — comes as he tries to avoid one of the House's most serious punishments.

• The House Ethics Committee found earlier this month that Edwards violated House rules over sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, and recommended his censure.
• The findings follow Axios' reporting that Edwards singled out two young female staffers in their 20s for special attention that multiple sources described as inappropriate.

Driving the news: In the "Dear Colleague" letter, obtained by Axios, Edwards argued that gifts, compliments and social interactions that the committee said "could" be interpreted as romantic do not amount to sexual harassment.

• "An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition. A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct. Socializing with a colleague is not sexual misconduct. Caring deeply about someone with whom you have worked and come to know for years is not sexual misconduct," Edwards wrote.
• NOTUS was first to report on the letter.

Context: Edwards wrote one staffer a flattering poem that he read aloud — while choking up and becoming teary-eyed — at her office-wide going-away party, Axios previously reported, and the Ethics Committee found.

• "Several staffers present testified that they felt uncomfortable, and Representative Edwards acknowledged in his own testimony that he could tell the staff felt uncomfortable," the report stated.
• He also told that staffer that she had "written a complex chapter in my heart" shortly before she was set to leave his office in a three-page handwritten letter previously reported by Axios.
• Edwards gave the two young female staffers numerous gifts, including jewelry worth over $1,000, as well as "designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners," the Ethics panel found.

Zoom in: Edwards accused the committee of leaving out evidence that he says shows his relationships with the women were reciprocal and stretched back years before he entered Congress.

• He said one staffer referred to him as her "second dad" and that another witness characterized one of the relationships as a father-daughter and mentor-mentee relationship.
• Edwards also said he gave gifts to male and female employees — including wine, cookware and a handgun to a male staffer — and that the two women gave him gifts in return.

But Axios previously reported that one of the women complained about Edwards' behavior and feared retaliation from the congressman.

• A lawyer for one of the former staffers said she "only awkwardly accepted" a handgun from Edwards "for fear of reprisal against her employment," and later legally disposed of it because she did not want it.

What they're saying: "Sexual harassment is sexual harassment and deserves to be disciplined accordingly. Chuck Edwards made a mockery of the position of Congress. While most of us are actually fighting for the American people, he was busy creeping on his staff. That is not reflective of the Republican Party and good riddance," one House Republican, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, told Axios.

• "This letter just underscores why he needs censuring: After all this, he still doesn't understand that what he did was sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment," one former staffer, who requested anonymity over fear of retaliation, told Axios of the letter.
• "When you have to write 'Poetry is not sexual misconduct' to your colleagues, it's time for you to go," the staffer added.

What's next: The House is expected to vote on Edwards' censure when it returns from recess on August 31.

• A House GOP leadership aide told Axios before Edwards announced his decision to drop his reelection bid that they "don't see a path" where he avoids censure.