A bipartisan ethics probe found Edwards, R-N.C., showered the aides with lavish gifts, invited them to intimate dinners and trips and wrote them poetry. He denied any wrongdoing.
Page A6From§Eachthe early evening edition — 1 September 2026
House censures GOP member for staffer conduct, turns on him, then votes to censure again
The House has a habit of circling the wagons, then shooting arrows inward, then patching up the holes and calling it reform. First they censure—an act that’s supposed to have teeth. Then, in a show of unity, some members turn on the censured, casting him as the party’s problem child. But the party’s answer? Another censure, just to make sure nobody missed the first one. There’s a rhythm to this kind of accountability: a motion, a sound bite, a second motion, and the party walks out whistling. No actual change, just the illusion of consequence. The keys to the office stay in the same hands, and the next dog-and-pony show is already on the schedule. The only thing censured here is the calendar.
“The House says they're cleaning up, but the mop never leaves the closet. They censure, turn on their own, and then censure again—like a dog chasing its tail. When the show’s over, the same crew is still holding the keys.”
“You know, censure is a serious step, but sometimes you need to protect your own. We’re addressing it—wait, did I just say censure twice? That’s not unusual, it’s just due process. Or maybe it’s politics, but it certainly isn’t anything inappropriate. Unless it is. No, it isn’t.”
The receipts
The House voted Tuesday afternoon to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), by a vote of 413-2, after the House Ethics Committee’s recommendation to do so following an investigation into sexual misconduct with two female staffers. Edwards, who dropped his reelection bid after the committee released its report, was censured after the…
Several House Republicans joined Democrats to censure Chuck Edwards after an ethics probe found he created a hostile work environment for staffers.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.