Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) told a young female staffer that she had “written a complex chapter in my heart” shortly before she was set to leave his office, according to a handwritten letter he sent her, Axios reports.
“Edwards is now the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe… That probe was prompted in part by Edwards’ conduct toward two female staffers.”
A former House staffer filed a complaint against Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) in early 2023 alleging that Costa behaved inappropriately and made advances toward her in February 2020 – when she was an intern for a different lawmaker, NOTUS reports.
New York Times: “Mr. Swalwell had developed a reputation as a digital native, a person who seemed to have a deep understanding of how to harness the power of social media.”
“In the end, social media would also play a critical role in his undoing.”
“It was on social media where early whispers of sexual misconduct accusations against Mr. Swalwell swirled after he entered the California governor’s race last year. After hearing similar chatter and allegations directly from women, two Democratic influencers built a network using some of the same platforms that his accusers said he had used to connect with them.”
New York Times: “The men at the helm of the party, President Trump and top Republican congressional leaders, were still standing by Mr. Gonzales, whose vote they needed to maintain their narrow majority in the House.”
“But among the small minority of G.O.P. lawmakers in the House who are women, an outspoken trio on the hard right — Representatives Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — went on the war path and ultimately helped force Mr. Gonzales’s resignation in May under the threat of expulsion.”
“It was part of an unlikely campaign by three MAGA women to call out what they say is a culture of rampant sexual harassment and misconduct on Capitol Hill, and to dismantle the unwritten rules of political expediency and tribal loyalty that for decades have helped to keep such behavior under wraps.”
“We’re moving from one fire drill to the next every single week, and then half the time it feels like, why are we even here?”
— A House Republican, quoted by MS NOW, on the chaos this week in the House Republican caucus.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), CNN reports.
The committee was recently contacted by a witness, who described having witnessed improper behavior.
“The House Ethics Committee has begun investigating Rep. Chuck Edwards over unspecified allegations against the North Carolina Republican,” Axios reports.
“Democrats are working hard to unseat Edwards in November, and an Ethics probe could damage the GOP lawmaker’s reelection prospects.”
Politico: “This week’s floor chaos saw multiple Republicans publicly yelling and swearing at Johnson during marathon vote sessions. The speaker left a trail of disgruntled members and staffers amid his reversals and contradictory promises.”
Said Rep. Max Miller (R-OH): “I think this guy has divided us with a smile.”
Punchbowl News: “On issue after issue this week, House Republicans folded. Over and over again. Despite claims that this time would be different.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Thursday said that it is not necessary for Congress to weigh in on the Trump administration’s military action in Iran because the United States is currently “not at war,” NBC News reports.
Said Johnson: “I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace.”
He added: “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”
“If you tell me I have to be white to serve in Congress from Louisiana, I can’t do nothing about that.”
— Rep. Cleo Fields (D-LA), quoted by Punchbowl News, on the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act.
“This is what happens when you have leadership who can’t organize a one-car parade.”
— A senior House Republican, quoted by NOTUS.
New York Times: “With midterm elections approaching and control of the two chambers at real risk, Republicans are struggling to pass essential legislation, let alone the political messaging bills typical of the months running up to Election Day.”
“The House floor was frozen on Tuesday and ground to a standstill for several hours on Wednesday as Republican leaders pleaded for votes and cut side deals. Two of those hours were spent laboring to win a preliminary vote to begin debate on a series of bills — what used to be considered a routine step until the current Republican majority assumed power and rank-and-file lawmakers, noting their party’s vanishingly slim margin of control, latched on to such moments as leverage.”
“Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) went off on fellow Republican lawmaker Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) on Wednesday amid claims he wildly misrepresented his service in the U.S. Army, with Mace entering several documents into the record that she said reinforced claims of stolen valor — and some other documents that just made him look bad,” Mediaite reports.
“Other documents she entered included a copy of his marriage certificate with a ‘9/11 imam’ and a picture of Mills with ‘a purported Russian hooker in Afghanistan, which he, of course, denies.'”
Washington Post: “House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) quelled an open revolt Wednesday from fellow Republicans, who nearly blocked several high-profile bills from advancing in a chamber where he is steering legislation through a razor-thin and increasingly unruly majority.”
“Florida House lawmakers approved a new congressional map Wednesday that would give Republicans a leg up in four more U.S. House seats, boosting their chances of keeping control of the chamber amid a nationwide redistricting arms race,” the Washington Post reports.
Politico: “The House meets this morning to vote on a procedural step to advance three legislative priorities: government spy powers that expire Thursday, the farm bill, and a budget resolution for immigration enforcement funding.”
“But after a weeks-long standoff over how to proceed on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the sweeping agricultural policy bill and the budget framework, House Republican leadership doesn’t appear to have the votes to advance anything.”
“Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on May 29,” CNBC reports.
“The panel’s majority announced the appearance the same day its Democratic members said they had begun the process to hold Bondi in civil contempt of Congress after she skipped scheduled testimony earlier this month.”
“Pete Hegseth’s got a lot to answer to from this disastrous war.”
— Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), quoted by Politico, ahead of the defense secretary’s appearance on Capitol Hill this morning.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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