A bipartisan House Ethics Committee has found substantial evidence that GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two of his female staffers, recommending that the full House vote to punish him on the floor.

Committee Findings

The committee determined that there was substantial reason to believe Representative Edwards violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces. The congressman denied that his behavior was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, but the committee found that he had intentionally deleted some messages to these women that were particularly inappropriate.

The committee’s report states that Edwards repeatedly acted inappropriately by sending personal texts late in the evenings and buying lavish gifts for the staffers, including jewelry worth over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop, and cell phone, among other items.

Response from Rep. Edwards

Paul Shumaker, a spokesperson for the Edwards campaign, said in a statement that the panel’s findings completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment and that its conclusion showed the congressman did not violate federal sexual harassment law.

Edwards, who is running for reelection in North Carolina’s 11th district, looks forward to having his name cleared and will work to ensure that the full light of day is brought on this process, the spokesman added.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.