Chuck Edwards Mounts His Defense: ‘Poetry Is Not Sexual Misconduct’

This story is republished from NOTUS.

Embattled U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards sent a 22-page letter to his colleagues defending himself against sexual harassment allegations that led to his decision to not run for reelection in November.

The letter follows a report from the House Ethics Committee that found there was “substantial evidence” that Edwards engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” The panel recommended that the Western North Carolina congressman be censured as a result of the investigation. The full House could vote next month on the punishment, which would require Edwards to stand in the chamber as the resolution condemning his behavior is read aloud.

“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 in the letter, which NOTUS obtained.

Edwards distributed the letter to members via text group chats, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Multiple staffers testified to the House Ethics Committee that they felt uncomfortable during an incident in which Edwards read a poem he wrote for a staffer who was leaving his office. He cried while reading the poem, according to the panel’s report.

In the letter, which NOTUS obtained, Edwards said the committee found “that I neither engaged in sexual activity with nor explicitly propositioned any individual staff member.” He also said there is “no House rule prohibiting members and staff from being friends” or “spending social time together” or “genuinely and deeply caring about” each other.

“Friendship is not misconduct. Generosity is not misconduct. Social interaction is not misconduct. Caring deeply about colleagues who have become important parts of your life is not misconduct,” Edwards said.

“Conduct does not become sexual harassment merely because someone looking backward through thousands of pages can construct a theory under which is ‘could be interpreted as romantic,’” he added.

Under the current rules of the House of Representatives, members are prohibited from having romantic or sexual relationships with any employee directly under their supervision. Lawmakers are also prohibited from engaging in “unwelcome sexual advances or conduct” toward any House employee.

The Ethics Committee concluded that two of Edwards’ female staffers “received numerous gifts from Representative Edwards, including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners.” Edwards, 65, has been married since 1980.

The panel said that one of the staffers stated that she felt “obligated to wear” a necklace Edwards gave her, and the congressman told her he was disappointed when she did not wear it.

Edwards also claimed that he not only gave gifts to female staffers, but also gifted male employees “olive oil, wine, cookware, rum, Kennedy Center tickets and even a handgun to a male employee.”

The letter says he testified that one female employee referred to him as her “second dad” and that he “knows the committee received other testimony from another witness who worked closely with us for years and who viewed another of these relationships as a father/daughter and mentor/mentee relationship.”

A spokesperson for Edwards did not immediately respond to a request for comment.