The House Ethics Committee has recommended censuring Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina after an investigation found he sexually harassed two young female staffers in his office. The report details a pattern of inappropriate conduct, including giving lavish gifts and trips, and reciting a poem to one aide in a moment that made colleagues in the office uncomfortable, with the committee concluding he breached the House's code of conduct.

The bipartisan committee's findings describe repeated incidents targeting the two aides, characterised by what the report calls "effusive affection" from Edwards towards the women. The recommendation for censure, a formal reprimand delivered on the House floor, now moves forward as one of the more serious disciplinary steps short of expulsion that Congress can take against a sitting member.