GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards tries to sway colleagues not to censure him: ‘An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition.’

By Lauren Fox, Allison Gordon, CNN

(CNN) — Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards is lobbying his colleagues to vote against a possible censure over allegations that he repeatedly made unwanted advances toward two female staffers, asserting that familiar conduct toward his employees was not necessarily inappropriate.

“An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition,” the North Carolina Republican wrote in a letter, which a source provided to CNN after it was shared in a group chat for members of Congress. “A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct.”

Edwards’ defense comes after the House Ethics Committee released an investigation earlier this month that found “substantial evidence” that the congressman made unwanted advances toward the staffers and recommended the House vote to censure him. Though Edwards has already abandoned his reelection bid, the letter, first reported by NOTUS, appears to indicate that he wants to avoid the rare rebuke by his colleagues. He insisted that despite the ethics committee investigation and findings, he never broke House rules, even if some may not approve of his behavior.

The congressman argued that the Ethics Committee “repeatedly relies upon interactions that it says ‘could be interpreted as romantic.’”

“But something that could be interpreted as romantic is worlds apart from establishing an unwanted sexual advance,” Edwards wrote.

His letter asserted “there is no House rule prohibiting Members and staff from being friends. There is no House rule prohibiting Members and staff from spending social time together. There is no House rule prohibiting a member from genuinely and deeply caring about people with whom he has worked closely for years.”

The House could vote as early as next week on Edwards’ censure. A fellow member would have to file the censure resolution, and it would have to be voted on within two legislative days — meaning days that Congress is in session.

Censure is a rare punishment in the House. Since it started in the mid 1830s, only 29 members have been censured by the full House. If a majority of the House approves of the censure, the accused member stands in the well of the House to be reprimanded.

In his letter, Edwards also argued that the Ethics Committee did not include details he shared with them about his interactions with staff, including that he gave gifts to both men and women in his office. The Ethics Committee declined to comment.

“I gave gifts to other members of my staff-male and female-including wine, olive oil, cookware, rum, Kennedy Center tickets and even a handgun to a male staffer. Those acts are directly relevant to whether gifts to these two women demonstrated romantic interest or reflected a broader pattern of generosity toward people with whom I worked closely, and that was a practice I exercised in my small business,” he wrote.

Edwards’s letter drew condemnations from some Democrats and advocates Thursday.

Cheyenne Hunt, the executive director of Reckoning Action, a women’s rights advocacy group, said in a statement: “Anyone who thinks a Congressman gifting a young female staffer poetry is appropriate is telling on themselves. Regardless of his intentions, Congressman Edwards has a documented pattern of subjecting his staff to unwanted and inappropriate behavior. He doesn’t get to decide where the line of professionalism gets drawn.”

Said Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus: “This is 22 pages of ramblings by someone who refuses to understand sexual harassment or his abusive power over the women who worked for him. His lack of remorse speaks for itself.”

Edwards’ office did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about the letter.

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