HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Henderson County Democratic Party on Monday filed a complaint against Congressman Chuck Edwards over a taxpayer-funded mailer sent to 11th District constituents in December.
The complaint filed with the House of Representatives Communications Standards Commission accused Edwards of using the mailer to campaign for re-election and attack Asheville.
The party said the mailer was a violation of federal law, which prohibits taxpayer-funded communications that are “politicized” and that “disparage political parties.”
“The mailer that I received and that tens of thousands of Western North Carolinians received the week before Christmas titled “Crime is out of control in Asheville” was a misleading, hyper-partisan campaign mailer, attacking Asheville and disparaging its mayor and city council, most of whom are Democrats,” Henderson County Democratic Party Chair Leslie Carey said in a news release.
Mailers, such as the one at issue in this complaint, are mailed under the “franking privilege” that each member of Congress enjoys. As long as the mailer concerns “official Congressional business,” the postage is paid by taxpayers. But if the mailer violates well-established rules, the Representative is subject to sanctions.
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