Scoop: Rep. Chuck Edwards aide feared retaliation over unwanted attention (axios.com)

Rep. Chuck Edwards told a 20-something female staffer it was "disappointing to feel something that used to be easy has gotten complicated" after she did not want to have dinner with him in May 2025, according to a text exchange reviewed by Axios. Why it matters: The female staffer complained about Edwards' behavior and was worried about retaliation from the congressman. In addition to text messages, Axios reviewed photographs and interviewed four sources familiar with the interactions. The sources requested anonymity to protect against retaliation. The messages add to a pattern of alleged behavior by Edwards (R-N.C.) toward young female aides that prompted the House Ethics Committee to investigate the congressman. Edwards has denied wrongdoing. The new accounts — including drinking outings, casino visits and unwanted attention toward the female staffer — build on Axios' previous reporting about Edwards' conduct toward young female staffers. In the May 2025 text exchange between Edwards and the staffer that Axios reviewed, the staffer told the congressman that she did not think dinner was a good idea, given rumors surrounding their interactions. Edwards responded: "It's disappointing to feel something that used to be easy has gotten complicated…I didn't expect outside chatter to change that." The staffer involved, whom Axios will not name due to the sensitive nature of the allegations, declined to discuss her interactions with Edwards when contacted by Axios. But she told another person that she felt uncomfortable and objectified after Edwards complimented her appearance — and that she was worried Edwards would retaliate against her if she complained. Axios previously reported that Edwards frequently complimented the staffer's outfits and appearance. Three sources told Axios that the staffer later brought her concerns about Edwards' behavior to his chief of staff. The sources said the chief spoke with the congressman about the matter shortly before the staffer departed his office. Edwards did not respond to multiple attempts to seek comment for this story. He told CNN on Tuesday that he did not have an inappropriate relationship with staff: "I think you're gonna find that when Ethics completes their investigation, that the facts will have caught up with all the gossip and the rumor." In an interview with The Assembly last week, Edwards called claims that he had behaved improperly toward female staffers "horseshit." He did not directly address the specific allegations reported by Axios. Edwards, 65, has been married since 1980. Edwards also wrote a flattering poem for the female staffer that he read aloud at her office-wide going-away party, four sources told Axios. The sources said Edwards choked up and became teary-eyed while reading the rhyming poem. A slideshow featuring photos of him and the staffer played in the background. The four sources described members of the office staff as deeply uncomfortable during the reading of the poem. They also