This story is published through our partnership with NOTUS.
Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina is embroiled in an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a former aide, NOTUS has learned.
Three sources told NOTUS the House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that Edwards had an affair with a former staffer who left the office earlier this year.
Edwards, 65, has been married since 1980.
The Ethics Committee is probing at least one allegation that Edwards was engaged in a long-term affair with his former deputy chief of staff, who was initially hired as a legislative assistant to Edwards when he was a state senator in 2021. Multiple sources told NOTUS that Edwards and the former deputy chief were not discreet, and the relationship became common knowledge among office staff and members of the North Carolina delegation.
“I welcome any investigation, given the professionalism my staff has demonstrated and my commitment to serving the people of Western NC,” Edwards said in a statement provided by his office. “Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”
House members are prohibited from engaging in romantic relationships with their staff, according to the chamber’s code of conduct.
“Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards
The alleged relationship resulted in friction among aides and led to staff departures from Edwards’ Washington, D.C., office, sources said.
The investigation, first reported by Axios, is among a bevy of cases the bipartisan House Ethics Committee has probed since 2017. CNN reported the panel was investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Edwards.
A source confirmed to NOTUS that an individual filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee alleging sexual misconduct by Edwards.
Reports of recent high-profile cases involving lawmakers and staffers have reverberated throughout Congress. Former Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tony Gonzales of Texas both resigned after threats of expulsion related to sexual misconduct allegations and subsequent ethics investigations. NOTUS reported that the Ethics Committee investigated allegations that another North Carolina member, Rep. Alma Adams, had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, but Adams’ office says the panel closed the matter and did not find any improper relationship.