House Republican Under Investigation for Alleged Sexual Harassment Gave Pink and Blue Handguns to Female Staffers: Report

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) — already the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation for alleged sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment — gifted two of his young female staffers personalized handguns, according to a report by Axios.

The Republican is a native of the Western North Carolina district he has represented in Congress since 2023. He previously made national headlines for gifting President Donald Trump a “French Fries Certification Pin” during a post-Hurricane Helene visit to his district — until selling off his holdings this month, Edwards owned multiple McDonald’s franchise locations — and for defeating his scandal-plagued predecessor, former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), in the contentious 2022 GOP primary.

Lately, however, it’s been Edwards’ turn to battle a series of scandals.

In April, news broke that he was being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, and the reason why was revealed in May: his alleged behavior with some of his young female staffers. Edwards, 65, has been married to his wife Theresa Edwards since 1980.

According to a report by Axios congressional reporter Kate Santaliz, sources said that at least two women in their 20s reported that Edwards “crossed professional boundaries and created an uncomfortable work environment.” The Axios report included details about a Las Vegas trip Edwards went on with one young woman after she left his office and a handwritten letter he allegedly wrote to her that called her an “amazing woman.”

“Your kindness, encouragement, and light-heartedness have written a complex chapter in my heart that I will never stop reading,” the letter reportedly said.

Santaliz had more details to report a week later about a young female staffer complaining that Edwards made her “uncomfortable” by showering her with gifts and extra attention, including having flowers delivered and reading a poem out loud to her in front of other staffers. The staffer said she was “worried about retaliation” from Edwards, sharing a text message exchange where the congressman had asked her out to dinner and she had turned him down.

On Monday, Santaliz had still more to dish about the troubles in Edwards’ congressional office, reporting that in 2024, he gifted two young female staffers each with “a personalized handgun” while they worked in his office, citing “two sources with direct knowledge of the gifts.”

One of the staffers got a “blue handgun engraved with her name” and the other got one in pink, Santaliz reported.

An attorney representing one of the young women told Axios she had “only awkwardly accepted the gift for fear of reprisal against her employment but later legally disposed of it because she did not want it in her possession.”

Santaliz’s report also mentions “a surprise musical performance” for a staffer’s birthday by a singer covering her “favorite Ed Sheeran songs,” citing “three sources familiar with the event” who described her as being “embarrassed by the performance” and not expecting it.

It is “not explicitly against House rules” for a member of Congress to buy gifts for their staffers, Santaliz’s report noted, and the congressman has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Edwards issued a statement to Axios: “I have taught several staff members to shoot and handle weapons, and in some cases, I provided them with their own. Before being elected to Congress, I was a licensed firearm dealer. I’m a strong believer in teaching men and women about firearm safety and self-defense. Firearms are useful tools for home and self-defense when held by law-abiding citizens.”

However, this was called into question by three sources who told Axios that “they had never seen or heard of Edwards giving another staffer a firearm, or teaching other staffers how to use a firearm,” wrote Santaliz.

Edwards’ district is one that Democrats are targeting to flip in the November midterm elections. The effect of the House Ethics investigation on his electoral fortunes remains to be seen, as many of the committee’s inquiries “typically take months, if not years, to complete,” Santaliz wrote.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!