House votes to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards

Members of the U.S. House voted to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, nearly a month after a House Ethics Committee report found substantial reason to believe he created a hostile work environment for two female staffers. #news #congress #northcarolina Support for censure was overwhelming, with 207 Republicans and 205 Democrats voting in favor of the resolution. The censure marks a public rebuke that Edwards acknowledged will remain part of his political legacy. The bipartisan Ethics Committee announced Aug. 3 that it found substantial reason to believe Edwards violated House rules and recommended that the full House censure him. In the days leading up to Tuesday's vote, Edwards called on his colleagues to reject the censure recommendation, arguing in a letter that the House Ethics Committee went beyond what its own evidence established. Edwards addressed members of the House hours before Tuesday's vote, reiterating his belief that the conduct detailed in the House Ethics Committee report did not amount to sexual harassment. “The committee concluded I engaged in no sexual activity,” Edwards said, adding the committee didn’t find he violated federal sex harassment laws. But lawmakers who supported the censure said sexual activity was not the issue. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, called Edwards’ behavior “disgusting and abhorrent,” arguing that his conduct went far beyond a personal friendship. “Not only did he disrespect these women, he disregarded his duties to his constituents,” Leger Fernández said. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-California, described what he called a pattern of bad behavior unacceptable for a congressman. “For more than two years, Congressman Edwards lavished two of his female staffers with gifts of jewelry, designer purses, shoes, flowers and gifts,” DeSaulnier said adding Edwards spent over a thousand dollars on gifts and trips for the women. DeSaulnier also said Edwards commented on the women’s appearance and clothing while they worked in his congressional office, including remarks about their weight and how they looked in certain clothing. Leger Fernández accused Edwards of failing to recognize the impact of his conduct. “He refuses to understand sexual harassment or his abuse of power,” she said. Edwards has maintained that he wanted nothing more than friendship with the women. With Edwards set to leave Congress in December, the censure will be one of the final chapters of his time on Capitol Hill. _______________ Follow WLOS on social media: WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook:   / news13   WLOS ABC 13 News on X: https://x.com/WLOS_13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram:   / wlos_13   Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Cha... For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit www.wlos.com Stream our newscasts LIVE: www.wlos.com/watch Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: news@wlos.com Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340 -- WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954. This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at contentsales@sbgtv.com