Why wasn’t NC Rep. Alma Adams’ case on list of House Ethics investigations?
A recently released list of investigations into alleged sexual misconduct by members of the U.S. House of Representatives didn’t include a newly unearthed accusation against Charlotte-area Congresswoman Alma Adams.
But the list did name a former member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation whose case was already widely known.
The reason for that difference may boil down to what the committee found and how much the public already knew.
The House Ethics Committee investigated a claim Adams had an inappropriate relationship with her current deputy chief of staff, NOTUS first reported Thursday. The 79-year-old Democrat represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District, which includes much of Charlotte.
McClatchy confirmed the details of NOTUS’ reporting through a former Adams staffer who, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the relationship led to a hostile work environment and high staff turnover.
Adams said in a statement she cooperated with the committee and that it closed the matter after finding no violations of House rules or inappropriate or improper relationship.
Why wasn’t Adams’ investigation released?
The congresswoman wasn’t included on the list of 28 members who’ve been investigated by the Ethics Committee since 1976 over allegations of sexual misconduct released Monday. The bipartisan committee put out the list alongside a statement calling for victims to file reports in the aftermath of two representatives resigning amid claims of inappropriate sexual relationships or sexual assault.
The list included a 2022 investigation of now-former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican who represented much of Western North Carolina in the House for one term. The committee found no sexual misconduct, but it found other ethics issues related to a cryptocurrency coin.
Ethics Committee staff director and chief counsel Tom Rust declined to comment on why the list included Cawthorn but not Adams.
The committee’s Monday statement said it has “initiated investigations in 20 matters involving allegations of sexual misconduct by a Member” since 2017. But the committee’s list only includes 15 instances dated 2017 or later.
Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Mississippi, told NOTUS the difference in the number of investigations launched compared to investigations disclosed was “because those matters were looked into by the committee, and we could not verify the allegations that were made.”
Monday’s statement said the committee released findings “whenever the Committee found a Member to have engaged in or fostered an environment where sexual misconduct took place.” It also says the committee “consistently publicly announced its investigations into publicly reported allegations of sexual misconduct and has announced any findings in those matters.”
The 2022 Cawthorn investigations stemmed from explicit videos and photos that circulated of the congressman and a public call for scrutiny from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis after a news report Cawthorn could be implicated in insider trading.
The allegations against Adams were not previously publicly known.
McClatchy reporter Danielle Battaglia contributed reporting.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:21 PM.
