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Did Rep. Alma Adams have an 'inappropriate relationship' with staffer? What the secret ethics probe actually found
The Ethics Committee investigated Alma Adams for an alleged inappropriate relationship, but no formal charges were made. Adams denied wrongdoing.
The House of Ethics Committee investigated Democratic Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina over an allegation of an “inappropriate relationship” with a female staffer, according to a report by NOTUS.
The investigation was not disclosed during its course, and it examined claims in a 2022 ethics complaint regarding Adams and her aide, Sandra Brown. The NOTUS reported that the probe ultimately did not lead to formal charges or public disciplinary action.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing, and her office has not issued detailed public comments on the nature of the allegations.
Read more: US Congress releases names of House Reps under sexual misconduct probe
The alleged relationship between Adams and Brown
The House of Ethics probed into Brown's self-published novel “BossLady: The Legend of Sydney Donovan Begins”, which details a fight between a woman and her lover's husband. The novel was published under the alias SaVette Brown, while the author's Amazon site refers to her as "Sandra Austin Brown."
Brown had said that the fictional story "was loosely based on her life," the New York Post reported.
According to the publication, aides who met with ethics investigators were questioned over Brown's trips to Adams at a one-bedroom apartment in Washington, DC
According to the report, their alleged relationship also led to a "hostile work environment," with Brown influencing important choices and even superseding higher-ranking employees.
After "a high-ranking staffer" submitted a complaint with the Ethics Committee, six former Adams aides were interrogated between January and September 2023 in Charlotte and Washington, DC, according to people involved with the investigation who spoke to NOTUS.
In the same year, Brown was promoted to deputy chief of staff and subsequently appointed district director of the congresswoman's Charlotte office.
Read more: Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns: What are the misconduct allegations against her?
Adams denies any wrongdoing
Reps for Adams’ office said in a statement on Thursday that the House of Ethics committee reported no violation of any House rules. They said in the review. “Congresswoman Adams cooperated fully with the House Ethics Committee’s review, which was thorough and detailed”
The statement further read, “Because the Committee’s comprehensive review found no violation of any House Rules, no penalties were recommended to the full House, and the Committee’s review remains confidential.”
Adams' office further noted that she was "advised" to "make sure that all employees were aware they could raise any concerns without fear of retaliation and that no staff received preferential treatment, actual or perceived."
Growing tide of conduct in Congress
In recent days, Congress has faced multiple controversies involving allegations of sexual misconduct or inappropriate relationships. On Monday, almost two dozen members of the House were made public after being the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Adams wasn't on the list.
Former Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned on Monday as President Trump's labor secretary, paid a staggering $98,650 to resolve at least two accusations of her husband's sexual misbehavior under the sex-or workplace-based discrimination clause.
Adams, however, has not been identified as one of several members who were required to pay settlements from a taxpayer-funded "slush fund" for claimed sexual harassment or employment discrimination.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), the committee's chairman, told NOTUS that the committee "does not intend to publish the names of individuals against whom allegations have been made that we are unable to substantiate."
