The US House Ethics Committee has recommended that Representative Chuck Edwards be formally censured by the full House over conduct it described as "highly unprofessional" toward two members of his staff.
According to the committee's report, Edwards violated "the spirit" of the House's rules against sexual harassment and unwanted advances.
The committee said Edwards, who is married, engaged in conduct that made the two women uncomfortable or created the appearance of sexual or romantic advances.
"Taken individually, many of Representative Edwards' actions were at minimum inappropriate," the report stated.
It said a member of Congress should not isolate a staff member from colleagues, repeatedly comment on a staffer's appearance or weight, send late-night messages, share deeply personal or seemingly romantic texts, intrude on personal occasions without invitation, pay for personal vacations or spend thousands of dollars on gifts for staff members.
"That Representative Edwards did all these things to two young staffers, repeatedly over a sustained period, was beyond inappropriate," the committee concluded.
In a formal response, Edwards' attorney argued that the committee had effectively cleared the congressman under the House's sexual harassment rules.
The attorney said the recommendation for censure was instead based on "vague standards requiring credible behavior and adherence to the spirit of the Rules of the House," rather than a finding that Edwards violated the chamber's sexual misconduct rules.
