The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is investigating Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California over allegations of sexual misconduct, including “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.”

In a statement signed by committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., the committee said it is “reviewing allegations that Representative Jimmy Gomez may have engaged in sexual misconduct,” which include “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.”

The investigation into Gomez comes amid a reckoning on Capitol Hill over a series of sexual misconduct allegations against multiple congressmen that have led to several resignations this year.

Gomez was a close political ally and personal friend of former California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress and suspended his Democratic gubernatorial campaign in April after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. Gomez served as Swalwell’s campaign co-chair.

CNN reported in June that the House Ethics Committee was investigating Gomez after the New York Post reported that the 51-year-old five-term congressman had been seen kissing a young congressional staffer from a different office during a party at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., home in 2023. MS NOW has not independently verified that report.

Responding to CNN shortly after the report, Gomez said that he had made mistakes that had caused his family pain, but he denied violating House ethics rules.

In a statement after the investigation was announced Monday, Gomez responded similarly. “As I said when the existence of an inquiry was first reported two months ago in the media, years ago, I made personal mistakes outside my marriage,” he said. “Although my actions were consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules, that doesn’t diminish the impact that these mistakes have made on those I care about the most.”

Gomez founded the Congressional Dads Caucus, a coalition of lawmakers who advocate for working families, after gaining viral attention for carrying his infant son on the House floor during a marathon vote series for House speaker in January 2023.

On Monday, Gomez thanked the House committee for acknowledging, as it does with every investigation into a member’s conduct, that a review does not immediately imply a violation of House rules occurred.

“I respect the committee’s process and am confident that a full and impartial review of the facts will bear that out,” he said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R.-Texas, resigned from the House in April after admitting to an affair with a former aide who later set herself on fire and died. Both Swalwell and Gonzales were under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and their colleagues were considering the extremely rare move of expelling them from the lower chamber before they resigned.

In April, the Manhattan district attorney announced an investigation into an allegation of sexual assault against Swalwell, which the accuser said happened in New York in 2024.

Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, who is running for re-election in the state’s 7th Congressional District, is under an extensive probe by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence,” among other conduct violations.

The post Rep. Jimmy Gomez under House investigation over alleged sexual misconduct appeared first on MS NOW.

Author: Source Author

From MS Now.