Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) announced early Wednesday that he is abandoning his reelection campaign in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District following a bombshell House Ethics Committee investigation.
“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote in a brief statement. “I will complete my current term.”
Edwards offered no further explanation in the announcement.
The stunning withdrawal came just two days after the bipartisan House Ethics Committee released a report recommending that the full House censure Edwards over what investigators described as “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two young female staffers.
According to the committee’s official report, investigators conducted 16 witness interviews and reviewed nearly 1,500 pages of evidence.
According to the report, Edwards provided the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a KitchenAid mixer, a robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners.
Hellbound and Down 