2026年8月5日 / 美国东部时间上午8:56 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
美国北卡罗来纳州共和党众议员查克·爱德华兹于周三早些时候宣布放弃第三任期竞选，此前众议院道德委员会刚刚得出结论，认为有“充分理由相信”他违反了与性骚扰和敌对工作环境相关的众议院规则，并建议对其进行谴责。
“经过长时间的祈祷和反思，我决定退出连任竞选，”爱德华兹在社交媒体上发帖称。“我将完成现任任期。为北卡罗来纳州西部服务是我一生的荣幸。感谢你们的信任、祈祷和支持。愿上帝保佑北卡罗来纳州西部和美国。”
众议院道德委员会在报告中表示，爱德华兹“未能遵守禁止性骚扰众议院员工并对其进行不必要挑逗的规则精神，违反了《众议院官方行为准则》”。报告称，委员会认定爱德华兹“对两名年轻女性员工采取了持续的不专业且不当行为”。
爱德华兹此前否认存在任何不当行为，道德委员会的报告中也提及了这一点。
代表爱德华兹竞选团队的一份声明称，调查结果“根据众议院针对性行为不端或性骚扰的相关规则，完全还了众议员爱德华兹清白”。
声明称：“委员会认定他既未与任何工作人员发生性行为，也未明确向任何人提出性交易要求。认定此事中的指控不涉及交换条件式性骚扰。认定他未违反联邦性骚扰相关法律。”声明还补充称，爱德华兹“期待自己的名声得以恢复”。
针对爱德华兹的指控曝出数月前，前众议员埃里克·斯沃威尔和托尼·冈萨雷斯因被指控性行为不端而辞职。与此同时，众议院道德委员会于周二宣布将调查众议员马克斯·米勒，他被指控存在家暴行为并涉嫌吸毒。米勒此前否认了家暴指控，并表示其持有毒品的处方。他于周二表示，将继续参与连任竞选。
爱德华兹于2022年首次当选众议员，通过击败前众议员麦迪逊·考索恩，代表阿什维尔及北卡罗来纳州其他地区。赢得3月初选的民主党人杰米·阿格是民主党提名的候选人。
尽管该选区自2010年以来从未选出过民主党议员，但民主党人认为本届选举该选区将具有竞争力。
凯亚·哈伯德、凯特琳·伊利克和尼科尔·基利安为本报道撰稿。
Rep. Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid after censure recommendation for sexual harassment claims
August 5, 2026 / 8:56 AM EDT / CBS News
Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina dropped his bid for a third term early Wednesday, days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured after concluding there is “substantial reason to believe” he violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.
“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards posted on social media. “I will complete my current term. Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.”
The House Ethics Committee said in its report that Edwards “violated the House Code of Official Conduct by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.” It said it found that Edwards engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
Edwards has denied any wrongdoing, which was also noted by the Ethics Committee report.
A statement on behalf of the Edwards campaign said the findings “completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment.”
“They concluded that he neither engaged in sexual activity with nor explicitly propositioned any individual staff member. They concluded that the allegations in this matter do not implicate quid pro quo sexual harassment. They concluded he did not violate federal sexual harassment law,” the statement said, adding that Edwards “looks forward to having his name cleared.”
The allegations against Edwards come months after former Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct. Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday announced it would be investigating Rep. Max Miller, who is accused of domestic abuse and possible drug use. Miller had denied the domestic abuse allegations and said he had a prescription for drugs. He said Tuesday that he would be staying in his reelection race.
Edwards, first elected in 2022, had ousted former Rep. Madison Cawthorn to represent Asheville and other parts of North Carolina. Democrat Jamie Ager, who won the March primary, is the Democrat on the ballot.
Although the district has not elected a Democrat since 2010, Democrats believe it could be competitive this cycle.
Kaia Hubbard, Caitlin Yilek and Nikole Killion contributed to this report.
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