WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freshman Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina got off to an unusual start in Congress.

Edwards, who beat Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary last year, said the controversial lawmaker never transferred official casework to Edwards’ office.

"Our former congressman unfortunately didn’t sign one form that needed to be signed for me to be able to take over the constituent database and the current casework,” Edwards said.

Edwards said he got a call from Cawthorn a few weeks after the general election in which Cawthorn assured he would pass along the constituent database.

“For whatever reason … we didn’t get a form signed,” Edwards said.

Doug Heye, a former top Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, said that’s very unusual.

"You often hear stories of members who lose who are bitter and not terribly helpful. That’s usually where staff come in and are helpful … but I’ve not heard of anything like this where casework was intentionally held back,” Heye said.

"It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get the handoff that we had hoped that we would, the handoff that we were promised,” Edwards said.

Edwards said a Cawthorn staffer told him several weeks ago there were around 100 open cases.

But a spokesperson for Cawthorn suggests Edwards is the one responsible, saying Cawthorn’s team fully cooperated with Edwards' office and weren’t informed they didn’t have everything they needed.

“If Rep. Edwards requires tutoring on his role as a member of Congress, Rep. Cawthorn invites him to set up a meeting with his scheduler,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 

As Edwards transitions into his new role, he wants to move away from the controversies — including bringing a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint — that embroiled his predecessor.

"My interest is not to create political stardom or to improve my Instagram following. My interest is in serving the people of the mountains,” Edwards said.

Edwards' staff asked constituents who have outstanding or unfinished casework to call the office at 202-225-6401 or 828-435-7310.