Rep. Chuck Edwards sanctioned by House commission over communications rules violation

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A congressional commission has sanctioned Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC 11) after a second complaint was filed by the Henderson County Democratic Party.

The complaint centers on email newsletters sent by Edwards last year that contained statements the Democrats say disparaged President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

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The House Communications Standards Commission sent a letter to the Henderson County Democratic Party saying they've found substantial reason to believe a rules violation occurred.

Penalties include a written warning and mandatory training.

"No one is above the law, as Chuck Edwards often says, and of course that includes him," Leslie Carey, chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, said in a press release. "He needs to do two things to make this right with the voters of the 11th District: acknowledge his error, and assure his constituents that it will not happen again. That certainly is not too much to ask for this breach of the public trust.”

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Congressman Edwards sent the following statement to News 13 regarding the commission's decision:

The Democrats are clearly ashamed of their president and his failing agenda, which is why they tried to put a gag order on me, thinking I might stop talking about Joe Biden's disastrous policies. I was proud to be a member of the House Oversight Committee during this time, and was proud of the work we did on that committee - and in the full House - investigating President Biden’s and his family’s business dealings. My constituents deserved to know what actions we were taking, and I felt it was important to share those details with them.

I did not go to Washington to make nice with Joe Biden, so while I’ll do a better job of crossing my ‘i’s and dotting my ‘t’s, I will not be robbed of my First Amendment rights by this hyper-partisan complaint, nor deterred from communicating with my constituents.