Congressional commission sanctions NC lawmaker over anti-Biden newsletters

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards said he didn’t come to Washington to play nice with President Joe Biden, but he told McClatchy Wednesday night that he’ll do a better job following the rules after being sanctioned for four email newsletters he sent to constituents attacking Biden and his son, Hunter.

On Wednesday, the House Communication Standards Commission sent a letter to the Democratic official who filed the complaint saying its members unanimously found substantial reason to believe Edwards violated rules regarding franked mail.

Franked mail, a practice that began in 1775, can only be used for congressional business. It can’t be used to target a political party affiliation or to disparage members of Congress, other individuals or political parties.

Edwards, a Flat Rock Republican, was defiant Wednesday, even in the face of the decision by a bipartisan commission with a Republican chairman.

“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,” Edwards said in an emailed statement to McClatchy.

Franked mail once allowed members of Congress to avoid using postage and to send mail under their signature. Allowing public officials to use franked mail was intended to speed up communication from a lawmaker to their constituents, but was often abused — resulting in a temporary ban, followed by regulations.

Disparaging remarks are defined as using personal insults, ad hominem attacks or attacks on a person’s character, or speculating on a person’s motivations.

Leslie Carey, chairwoman of the Henderson County Democratic Party, filed a complaint in March accusing Edwards of violating franked mail rules when he sent emailed newsletters in May, June, July and December 2023 attacking the Bidens over their finances and their alleged involvement with foreign adversaries.

“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,” Edwards said. “My constituents deserved to know what actions we were taking, and I felt it was important to share those details with them.”

Hunter Biden was indicted in December 2023 on nine federal tax offenses — three of them felonies. He is accused, among the charges, of not filing and paying his taxes on time for four years. He has pleaded not guilty. He also has pleaded not guilty to federal firearms charges.

What penalties will Edwards face?

The commission told Carey that Edwards’ office will face penalties because of its findings. The letter did not offer further details, but the House’s Communications Standards Manual says that penalties could include written warning, suspension of official mass communication privileges, mandatory briefings from the commission and public disclosure of the violation.

Maria Kim, spokeswoman for Edwards, said he does not face a financial penalty because tax dollars were not used to send the emails.

Edwards added: “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.”

The Henderson County Democratic Party sent out a news release after receiving the commission’s letter. It was first reported by The Smoky Mountain News.

This was the second complaint from the Henderson County Democratic Party, which also accused Edwards of targeting some of Asheville’s Democratic city officials. That complaint was dismissed by the commission.

“It is our belief that the commission improperly dismissed our first complaint, but we are gratified that they found merit in our recent complaint and sanctioned Chuck Edwards for his egregious violations,” Carey said.

She added that no one is above the law.