{"id":26901,"date":"2026-08-04T05:08:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T00:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=26901"},"modified":"2026-08-04T05:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T00:08:31","slug":"bizarre-texts-gifted-guns-30-types-of-ice-cream-rep-faces-censure-following-sexual-harassment-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=26901","title":{"rendered":"Bizarre Texts, Gifted Guns, 30 Types of Ice Cream: Rep. Faces Censure Following Sexual Harassment Allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n\r\n<br><div id=\"article-content\">\n            \n\n\n\n\n<p>The bipartisan House Ethics Committee on Monday recommended that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) be censured for his behavior towards two young women on his staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<!-- \/wp:post-content -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>As documented in a <a href=\"https:\/\/ethics.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Committee-Report-8.3.26.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> and accompanying <a href=\"https:\/\/ethics.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Appendix-A.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">appendix<\/a>, Edwards lavished the staffers with gifts including \u201cguns,\u201d sent romantic text messages and relentlessly sought to spend time alone with them. Edwards has been in the House since 2023, and is married. The committee emphasized that it found no evidence that Edwards committed sexual assault or explicitly propositioned the women for sex.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Edwards failed \u201cto adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers,\u201d it said, adding: \u201cAs part of its investigation, the Committee sought documentary evidence from multiple sources, including Representative Edwards, conducted 16 witness interviews, including of Representative Edwards, and reviewed nearly 1,500 pages of documentary evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553878,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1760\" height=\"1078\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png 1760w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=768,470 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=804,492 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=1536,941 1536w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=600,368 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=1000,613 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-4.27.46-PM.png?resize=1200,735 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A puzzle invite to an Adam Sandler show Edwards gave a staffer from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In a 15-page <a href=\"https:\/\/ethics.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Appendix-B-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">rebuttal<\/a>, counsel for Edwards wrote that \u201cthe Committee has failed to demonstrate that either of the two staffers expressed discomfort to Representative Edwards regarding his conduct with them.\u201d The lawyers added that Edwards believed the staffers\u2019 discomfort stemmed from rumors that he was having an affair with one of them. It contended that Edwards\u2019 fellow lawmakers unfairly recommended censure after finding he violated the \u201cspirit of the Rules of the House,\u201d but that he did not commit a \u201cdirect violation of House rules addressing sexual misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The committee wrote that the investigation began after it put out a call for information about members\u2019 sexual misconduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553867,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1282\" height=\"1314\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553867\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png 1282w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?resize=768,787 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?resize=804,824 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?resize=600,615 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?resize=1000,1025 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.41-PM.png?resize=1200,1230 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers that the congressman printed out and on which he wrote \u201cperhaps my proudest personal moment!\u201d From the committee report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Per the report, Edwards brought the two staffers with him from his state Senate office upon his election in 2022. He made one of them his full-time scheduler, even though she was still in college.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cThe former Chief of Staff opposed this arrangement, but Representative Edwards was \u2018insistent,\u2019\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In the roughly three years the two women worked for Edwards, he was fixated on them, according to the report.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cBoth women received numerous gifts from Representative Edwards, including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners,\u201d the report said, adding that \u201cStaffer 1 said she did not feel obligated to wear the purse or jewelry Representative Edwards gave her, but Staffer 2 felt \u2018obligated to wear\u2019 a necklace he bought her and when she stopped wearing it, \u2018he made a comment about . . . how disappointed he is that I\u2019m not willing to [] wear what he got me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553866,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"952\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553866\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png 1280w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?resize=768,571 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?resize=804,598 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?resize=600,446 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?resize=1000,744 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.56.23-PM.png?resize=1200,893 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>An unsettling recurring theme in the report was Edwards\u2019 efforts to hide his interactions with the women from his other staffers, despite his insistence that his relationship with them was platonic and professional.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>He \u201cbrought Staffer 1 to a holiday event at the White House, hid the details from other staffers, bought her flowers, and texted her in advance that he was \u2018so excited about tonight\u2019 and wanted the evening to be \u2018perfect,\u2019\u201d the report said. \u201cStaffer 1 testified that Representative Edwards attempted to pressure her to continue the evening with him after the event and insisted on having her travel to and from the event in his car, with his driver.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553868,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1348\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553868\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png 1348w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?resize=768,255 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?resize=804,267 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?resize=600,199 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?resize=1000,332 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.59.02-PM.png?resize=1200,399 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1348px) 100vw, 1348px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The committee detailed episodes in which he routinely ignored the women\u2019s attempts to set boundaries with him, already a difficult task given his status and influence over their careers.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWhen Representative Edwards messaged Staffer 1 to ask her preferred flowers, she responded \u2018I\u2019m okay without flowers thank you though!\u2019\u201d the report said. \u201cHe got her flowers anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553865,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2266\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553865\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png 2266w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=768,126 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=804,132 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=1536,252 1536w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=2048,336 2048w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=600,98 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=1000,164 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.53.32-PM.png?resize=1200,197 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2266px) 100vw, 2266px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In another instance, one of the staffers said that his sending of \u201capproximately 30\u201d different flavored ice creams to her house was a \u201cbit excessive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553863,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1354\" height=\"898\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553863\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png 1354w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=768,509 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=804,533 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=600,398 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=1000,663 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=1200,796 1200w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-2.57.26-PM.png?resize=98,64 98w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1354px) 100vw, 1354px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A senior staffer confronted Edwards on the women\u2019s behalf as early as May 2025, per the report, but the congressman \u201cgot very angry\u201d and accused her of not understanding their \u201cunique relationship.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The report documented a seeming indifference to the discomfort he caused the two staffers, and his broader office.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>He \u201cwrote poems for Staffer 2, including one that he read at her going away party in the congressional office accompanied by a slideshow, during which he cried,\u201d the report said. \u201cSeveral staffers present testified that they felt uncomfortable, and Representative Edwards acknowledged in his own testimony that he could tell the staff felt uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":1553872,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"GalleryImageWrapper\"><h2 class=\"GalleryImageWrapper__Title\"\/><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1344\" height=\"502\" src=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?w=804\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1553872\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png 1344w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?resize=768,287 768w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?resize=804,300 804w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?resize=600,224 600w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?resize=1000,374 1000w, https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-03-at-3.55.33-PM.png?resize=1200,448 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1344px) 100vw, 1344px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Text messages between Edwards and one of his staffers from the report appendix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The committee found that, despite his protestations that his relationships with the two women were aboveboard, Edwards appeared to have deleted texts from his conversations with them.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The harassment isolated the two staffers and engendered bad feelings towards them when he showed preferential treatment, including promoting one of the women, still in the early years of her career, to deputy chief of staff in 2024 over a much more experienced staffer. Both women have left both Edwards\u2019 office and the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The House is on recess until September, likely pushing a censure vote until then. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Edwards is currently in a tight reelection fight with Democrat and livestock farmer Jamie Ager. Cook Political Report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/house\/race\/483756\" target=\"_blank\">downgraded<\/a> his race from \u201clikely Republican\u201d to \u201cleans Republican\u201d in June, saying that \u201ceven before stories broke alleging Rep. Chuck Edwards had pursued an affair with a staffer,\u201d his reelect was in danger according to \u201cneck-and-neck\u201d polling from both parties.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->          <\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n        appId: \"101800829865996\",\n        xfbml: true,\n        version: ' v2.6'\n      });\n      window.fbAsyncInit.__didInit = true;\n    };\n    (function(d, s, id) {\n      var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n      if (d.getElementById(id)) {\n        return;\n      }\n      js = d.createElement(s);\n      js.id = id;\n      js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n      fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n    }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n  <\/script>\r\n<br><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The bipartisan House Ethics Committee on Monday recommended that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) be censured for his behavior towards two young women on his staff. As documented in a report and accompanying appendix, Edwards lavished the staffers with gifts including \u201cguns,\u201d sent romantic text messages and relentlessly sought to spend time alone with them. Edwards&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/talkingpointsmemo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2275355653.jpg?w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}