The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both announced Monday evening that they were resigning from Congress amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Swalwell’s announcement came just a day after he suspended his campaign for governor amid allegations of sexual assault.
“I am aware of efforts to bring about immediate expulsion against me and other members,” he wrote a statement To
A little over an hour later, Gonzales posted his plans to resign on social media.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for all of us,” he said wrote. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will tender my resignation from office. It has been an honor to serve the great people of Texas.”
The debate over whether to expel four House members, which would require support from two-thirds of the chamber, resurfaced this weekend at Swalwell got out the gubernatorial election.
New Mexico Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, wrote in a statement that the reports about Swalwell were “horrifying.”
“Rep. Swalwell’s actions would not be tolerated in any workplace, and the United States Congress should be no different,” she wrote. “We must believe and support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.”
Fernández called for an immediate investigation to ensure that “the staff and interns who courageously came forward must be heard and brought to safety.”
Fernández wrote in a separate statement that Swalwell and Gonzales, who is is being investigated Convicted by the House Ethics Committee of allegations that he was “guilty of sexual misconduct toward a person employed in his congressional office,” he should leave Congress immediately.
“Representatives Gonzales and Swalwell are unfit to serve. They must resign. If they do not, I will vote to expel them,” she wrote.
Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote in a social media post that she “will support this resolution!”
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday afternoon that its members had done so an investigation has been initiated against Swalwell “regarding allegations that he may have committed sexual misconduct, including toward an employee working under his supervision.”
Florida legislature
There is also the possibility that an expulsion resolution would include Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills.
The House Ethics Committee voted to find Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of more than two dozen ethics charges after a public hearing in delayed March. The panel plans to hold another hearing on April 21 to decide “what sanction, if any, would be appropriate for the committee to recommend to the House.”
Mills was is being investigated He was convicted for months by the Ethics Commission over allegations that he committed “misconduct relating to allegations of sexual misconduct and/or dating violence,” among several other possible violations.
Few expulsions in history
The House of Representatives has rarely expelled its members and has voted to oust representatives only six times.
New York Republican Rep. George Santos was the latest member to be removed from the House by a vote of 311-114 vote in December 2023 to approve one Expulsion decision sponsored by Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, chairman of the Ethics Committee.
The resolution states that “Santos will appear in federal court in the Eastern District of New York in May 2023 on charges of wire fraud in connection with a fraudulent political fundraising scheme, unlawful monetary transactions in connection with the wire fraud allegations, theft of public funds in connection with his alleged receipt of unemployment benefits, fraudulent application for and receipt of unemployment benefits, and false statements in connection with his 2020 and 2022 House of Representatives financial disclosure statements.” was charged.”
The second most recent expulsion came in 2002, when Ohio Democratic Rep. James A. Traficant was expelled on charges of conspiracy, government fraud, illegal tips, obstruction of justice, racketeering and tax evasion, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Michael J. Myers was expelled in 1980 for bribery, conspiracy and travel law violations. In 1861, during the Civil War, Kentucky Representative Henry C. Burnett and Missouri Representatives John B. Clark and John W. Reid were expelled for “disloyalty to the Union.”
Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.
