This article was co-published by TPM and The Assembly, which publishes deep reporting on power and place in North Carolina.
A regional Rotary conference in Asheville on Saturday night appears to have ended with a confrontation between Western North Carolina’s U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R) and an unknown man, with witnesses attesting that the congressman struck the attendee.
“He got into an argument at one of the tables with another Rotarian and Chuck got upset and hit the guy with a binder and said ‘love you man’ as he walked out,” said a Rotarian, who requested anonymity so as not to jeopardize his relationship with the organization.
“The guy he hit called the police and claimed he was assaulted,” the emailer continued.
McClatchy newspapers published a similar story on Monday evening, quoting Rotarian Guy Gooder, who said he heard the fracas, but didn’t see it.
The man exchanged words with Edwards after the congressman delivered his remarks, Gooder said. “Chuck stops and kind of bends over, kind of in-his-face type of stuff,” Gooder told McClatchy, saying Edwards “hit the guy with his clipboard” while the man was still seated. According to Gooder, the two men then exited the conference room.
Neither Edwards’ D.C. office nor his district office responded to our requests for comment as of Monday night.
McClatchy reported on early accounts of the incident on Sunday, including a statement from Edwards claiming he had “refused to engage with an intoxicated man that was cursing” after his speech.
“He became more belligerent and later called the police,” the statement continued. “His behavior was embarrassing to people at the event and was duly noted by the police. To my knowledge, there was no further action taken by police.”
Asheville Police Department PIO Rick Rice confirmed via text message on Saturday night that the department was investigating a disturbance, and that Edwards “was present at the time.” Rice said he did not have the gender or age of the person who filed the complaint, and said he would have more information on Monday. He also directed this reporter to file a public records request for a police report. (As of Monday evening, that request had not been fulfilled.)
On Monday morning, Rice responded to further inquiries via text that “the investigation is ongoing. There are no further updates at this time.”
Rumor Mill in Overdrive
Reports began to emerge over the weekend that some kind of confrontation had occurred at the Embassy Suites Hilton Downtown Asheville where the conference was taking place. But what actually happened and who was the aggressor has remained the subject of mystery and plenty of rumors.
Rotary Clubs throughout Western North Carolina came together for a conference on the theme “Peace in Action,” which included dedicating a peace pole in Pritchard Park. Any other regional Rotary District 7670 event may have been a ho-hum affair, of interest only to other Rotarians. But word spread quickly Saturday night that police had responded to an incident involving Edwards.
In the absence of more information, rumors flew through the weekend and into Monday, with multiple versions of events reaching reporters.
In a text message, Rotary District 7670’s Governor Connie Molland said it was her understanding the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office decided “there was not enough probable cause and that they were dropping the investigation … It was a pretty vague situation.”
Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams’ office did not respond to a late Monday request for comment.
Molland continued: “Our conference was entitled Peace in Motion relating to Rotary’s extensive work in building peace and understanding throughout the world. We are committed to ensuring that every individual who participates in Rotary activities understands their obligation to maintain an environment that promotes safety, courtesy, dignity and respect for all.”
A Heated Conversation in the Hotel Parking Lot
Additional accounts of Saturday night’s disturbance suggest an alternative to allegations of an assault-by-office-supply. It may have been a bump or shoulder check, possibly accidental.
“I just happened to be in the lobby as part of the incident played out,” wrote another tipster, who was not there for the Rotary event but was in the hotel lobby. “I was exiting the lobby to the parking area, a man in a suit was walking briskly in the same direction calling out ‘he assaulted me.’”
“He kept saying ‘that’s assault, I have five witnesses, you hit me, I’m calling the police’ and a lady in yellow was following him begging him ‘Please don’t do this!’”
The man in the suit eventually caught up with Edwards, the witness said, and continued saying that he’d been assaulted. “They all started a relatively quiet discussion,” the witness wrote, providing a photograph of Edwards talking to several men and a woman in a yellow dress.
The emailer described bystanders, including herself, as skeptical and confused. This person “assumed that Chuck had not outright hit the man, as nobody else in the vicinity got involved and nobody else in the lobby came forward to say what they’d seen.” The lobby and bar were very full of conference attendees, but no one seemed to know what had happened.
“Someone said, ‘He’s a congressman, there’s no way he just hauled off and slapped a man in public.”
Chris Cooper, professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, said he had heard rumors about a “disturbance,” but none of them have been firsthand or particularly detailed.
While “wild rumors” abound in politics, Cooper noted the specific allegation of assault with a binder or clipboard “seems to run counter to what we know about Chuck Edwards” and his buttoned-up demeanor.
But Cooper also acknowledged political tensions are sky-high. The fact that there was a confrontation at a Rotary event, which is “a relatively apolitical” organization, is worrisome, he explained.
“If the Rotary Club isn’t a safe space for people to have friendly disagreements, then I don’t know what is.”
