House formal rebuke for Rep. Edwards after ethics probe

The House voted 413-2 to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, after a bipartisan Ethics Committee found he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers, including lavish gifts, intimate dinners, vacations, and poems. Edwards denied wrongdoing and ended his re-election bid. He apologized to his wife and staffers, while arguing that his actions did not constitute sexual misconduct. The censure is a formal rebuke that stops short of removing him from office.