Ethics committee confirms NC’s Rep. Edwards under sexual harassment investigation

The House Committee on Ethics confirmed Thursday afternoon that Rep. Chuck Edwards is under investigation for “allegations that he “may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment.”

The committee announced the investigation in a news release Thursday. It’s the first time the committee publicly acknowledged the investigation of the Flat Rock Republican.

News of the ethics investigation against Edwards first surfaced two weeks ago when it was reported by Axios.

Edwards denies any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “baseless” and saying he would “welcome the ethics inquiry because it allows for facts to be entered into the record.”

But in the past 14 days, news reports continued to surface from reporters at Axios, CNN and NOTUS, who listened to multiple witnesses, viewed photographs and reviewed text chains to determine what may have been taking place in Edwards’ office.

Axios spoke to at least three people who accused Edwards of inappropriate behavior toward two women on his staff in their 20s.

Edwards is 65 and has been married more than 45 years.

McClatchy began investigating turnover in Edwards’ office in April 2025, after he lost several employees including his chief of staff and legislative director, who had served Edwards since he took office in January 2024.

As of last month, Edwards had lost all but two members of his original team, according to Legistorm.

In May 2025, Edwards was accused of striking a man with a clipboard at a Rotary Club meeting, and had to handle the fallout without his top two aides.

That same month, Axios reported, Edwards sent a text message to one of the female staffers saying he was disappointed things had gotten complicated between them after she told him she didn’t want to have dinner with him because of the rumors swirling about them.

Axios reported that Edwards didn’t alter his behavior, and the female staffer worried about retribution if she rejected him.

Reported allegations against Edwards include writing a note to a member of his staff saying she has “written a complex chapter in my heart,” gifting a designer bag and jewelry, giving a staffer an Adam Sandler puzzle to invite her to the comedian’s show, and vacationing with a former staffer in Las Vegas during the government shutdown while he was needed in Washington.

Axios’ most recent report says that he took a staffer to a casino, went out for drinks and wrote her a poem that was read in front of staff when she left his office, in a manner he had never used to say goodbye previously to an employee.

And despite repeated turnover, only two employees got floor speeches when they departed his office — other than his numerous interns — two women in their 20s, McClatchy learned from the congressional record.

The News & Observer reached out to every full-time member of Edwards’ past and current staff but has either been denied comment or has left messages that went unanswered.

Edwards is up for reelection and facing off against fourth-generation farmer Jamie Ager, who has a long-family history of state and federal political experience that includes his brother, father and grandfather.

At the surface, Edwards appears to be in a safe Republican seat, but Ager is outraising the Republican, and the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican” after news of the ethics investigation broke.

This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 4:48 PM.

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of the impact of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.