Police investigate allegation N Carolina GOP congressman hit man at Rotary event, no charges filed

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is accused of hitting a man at a Rotary club event, but the congressman instead claims the man caused a disturbance and called the police.

Edwards spoke at a Rotary club conference in Asheville, N.C., on Saturday, which police were called to, The Charlotte Observer reported. The congressman claims that during the event he “refused to engage with an intoxicated man that was cursing.”

“He became more belligerent and later called the police,” Edwards said in a statement on Sunday. “His behavior was embarrassing to the people at the event and was duly noted by the police. To my knowledge there was no further action taken by police.”

However, Guy Gooder, the district’s community service project chairman and a corporate sponsor of the event, claims that Edwards hit the man with his clipboard after giving a speech.

Gooder said that he heard Edwards hit the man but couldn't see exactly where because the congressman was between him and the other man, blocking his view.

During his speech, Edwards went off script, defending the Trump administration's actions, such as tariffs and cuts to federal agencies, Gooder said. Rotary clubs are not supposed to be partisan or sectarian.

“He spent 30 minutes basically insulting the Rotarians’ intelligence in his speech,” Gooder said. “He insulted many of the programs that we partner with, agencies like the State Department, and the WHO, which is polio eradication, insulted those departments, talked about maybe we can get some funding back to the State Department for polio, so our efforts can continue.”

After his speech, Edwards had to pass by tables where Rotarians were sitting to exit.

“If you do that for 30 minutes and you walk past somebody, they’re probably going to insult you back,” Gooder said.

A man sitting at a table along the aisle Edwards passed through addressed the congressman.

“The Rotarian basically said that was a load of B.S.,” Gooder said.

“Chuck stops and kind of bends over, kind of in-his-face type of stuff,” Gooder added, who was at the next table over, “and then it continues from there.”

Edwards “hit the guy with his clipboard” while the man was still seated, Gooder said. The two men then left the room and continued arguing out of sight.

Gooder identified the man, who told the Observer that he couldn’t answer any questions but had just gotten off the phone with a police detective and they’re “trying to come to a resolution.”

The Asheville Police Department Patrol and Criminal Investigation Divisions said they conducted a thorough investigation, which included interviews with the reporting party and multiple witnesses.

After reviewing the findings and consulting with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, it was determined that no criminal charges will be filed.