Bizarre McDonald's ban report resurfaces as GOP rep faces new sex harassment probe

A GOP lawmaker's odd choice to ban protesters from six of his McDonald's franchises has resurfaced as he faces a House Ethics Committee investigation.

"A Republican congressman banning his own constituent from McDonald's for protesting his vote to cut SNAP benefits?" wrote Mother Jones national correspondent Tim Murphy on Thursday. "I'm not sure I've seen a more House Republican story than this."

Murphy was referring to Rep. Chuck Edwards, who is now under investigation for sexual harassment accusations, CNN reported on Thursday. That drew some attention to a story earlier from early April about Edwards' decision to ban North Carolina resident Leslie Boyd from the McDonald's franchises he owns.

According to reporting by the Assembly, Boyd and a group of protesters staged weekly protests outside of one of Edwards' franchises to denounce his vote in favor of cutting federal funding for SNAP benefits, which assist low-income households with buying food.

"We decided since Chuck Edwards voted to take food stamps and health care from people, we should vote to take money from him by boycotting his restaurants," Boyd told a local TV station about five months before she was banned.

The Assembly described the protests as "fairly low-key" and "sometimes someone would wear a Grinch or Ronald McDonald costume. Someone else might dress like Grimace."

After Boyd led a group of forty protesters into one of the congressman's McDonald's, she received a letter signed by Edwards' wife telling her that she is banned, according to the Assembly.

Boyd told the Assembly that not being able to eat at Edwards' McDonald's is “no skin off my nose" because she hasn't eaten at the fast food chain in 25 years.