House censures Rep. Edwards over staffer conduct amid ethics probe

The House of Representatives censured Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., for inappropriate, unprofessional conduct toward two former female staffers after the Ethics Committee concluded his intimate and effusive attentions—along with gifts and personal notes—could be seen as improper. Edwards voted against the resolution, calling the ethics process a “Russian show trial,” and said he expects to regain his life after politics. He is completing his second term and had already decided not to seek reelection; he is the 29th member censured in House history. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., was the other lawmaker who opposed the censure.