The United States Congress is shaken; almost at the same time, two lawmakers decide to submit their resignations. They are Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, as well as Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas.
Their departure comes ahead of a House initiative to oust them after both became embroiled in scandals related to sexual accusations.
In recent weeks, the two were under investigations, each independently, by the House Ethics Committee; in some of the cases investigated were women who had worked for them, which constitutes a violation of the rules to which lawmakers must adhere.
Their resignations effectively bring these investigations to an end, given that the Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over members of Congress who are in office.
Meanwhile, for Swalwell, investigations by law enforcement may continue; and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has stated that it has opened an investigation into him focused on an alleged assault that took place in New York, according to NBC News.
This week another woman alleged that Swalwell drugged her, raped her and strangled her in a hotel room in California in 2018.
For his part, Gonzales, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, had been followed for months by rumors and accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct, dating back to when one of his employees, Regina Santos-Aviles, committed suicide.
Text messages that were made public reveal that Gonzales had sent sexually explicit messages to Santos-Aviles in May 2024. Subsequently, Gonzales admitted having maintained an extramarital relationship with her while she was his subordinate.
To make matters worse, a second woman who had worked for Gonzales revealed to national outlets that he had also sent her sexually explicit text messages, repeatedly soliciting sexual relations and nude photographs.
In March, Gonzales announced that he would not seek reelection; however, after Swalwell’s scandal, he stated that he would leave Congress before completing his term, thus avoiding a vote on his expulsion.
With Swalwell’s and Gonzales’s departures, the Republicans will hold a 216 to 213 majority over the Democrats. However, Republicans will gain a seat on Tuesday night when Clay Fuller, from Georgia, is sworn in to succeed former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned earlier this year.
