News

GUEST COLUMN: Edwards should have apologized and moved on

By Bruce Macdonald, Published: April 30, 2024

On Wednesday, April 24, Congressman Chuck Edwards was sanctioned by the House of Representatives for violating rules which prohibit “mass communications” sent out by Representatives to their constituents that include personal attacks on individuals.

Edwards had included strongly worded attacks on President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in four email newsletters sent out last year. The Henderson County Democratic Party filed a formal complaint about those newsletters, which resulted in a finding by the House Communications Standards Commission that there was “substantial reason to believe a violation occurred,” and an order that Edwards’ office be sanctioned.

The same day that he received this news, Edwards issued a statement attacking Democrats for trying to “put a gag order” on him and trying to rob him of his First Amendment rights, characterizing the Democrats’ complaint as “hyper-partisan.” What he didn’t mention was that the complaint process, established by his own colleagues in the House of Representatives, is to ensure that the laws relating to what is called the “franking privilege” are complied with by all Representatives.
The franking privilege goes back to colonial times when it was considered to be important for members of Congress to be able to communicate with their constituents at taxpayer expense regarding official business. That privilege has survived to this day, with numerous modifications. In today’s world, however, with much of a Representative’s communications with his or her constituents occurring electronically, the franking privilege also encompasses “mass communications,” a term that includes not only traditional mailings, but also email newsletters, websites, social media, advertisements, robocalls, surveys and the like.
The rules that Edwards and every other U.S. representative must follow are set out in a publication called the “House of Representatives Communications Standards Manual,” which can be found on the Commission’s website at cha.house.gov/communications-standards-commission.
The process for filing a complaint against a representative for violating the rules can also be found on the Commission’s website.
What the Henderson County Democratic Party did was to bring to the Commission’s attention what it felt were violations of the rules. It was the bi-partisan Commission, consisting of three Republican members and three Democratic members, that ruled that Edwards had in fact violated the rules and should be sanctioned. It is noteworthy that the current chair of the Commission is a Republican, as they are presently the majority party. The rage in Edwards’ April 24th statement should have been directed at his six colleagues, not the Henderson County Democratic Party.
But is it any surprise, with today’s MAGA-controlled Republican Party, that Edwards would mimic Donald Trump? Had he simply issued a “mistakes were made” non-apology, as politicians often do, the matter would likely be behind us. But no, just as the man he adores, Edwards has to assume the role of victim and go on the attack. You would think that he would want to build upon the good will that has been generated by his recent support for aid to Ukraine and to shut down the bad news of his sanctioning as quickly as possible. But no, that is not what Donald Trump would do.
Edwards’ adoration for Trump was on full display in the 2022 Republican Primary debates, where a large field of Trump admirers was vying for the seat then held by Madison Cawthorn. I had hopes that Edwards would moderate his MAGA leanings and rhetoric when he actually became our Congressman but, alas, that has not happened. He is just as rabid as his predecessor, calling everyone who doesn’t agree with him a socialist and turning complicated policy issues that require bi-partisan solutions into simplistic attack lines against Democrats.
I am reminded of the movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” where Tom Ripley, played by Matt Damon, wistfully says of his sad life, just before he kills his third victim: “I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.”
Our Congressman would rather be a fake Donald Trump than a real Chuck Edwards. That, truly, is sad.

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Bruce Macdonald is attorney for the Henderson County Democratic Party.