Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales leaving Congress ahead of possible expulsion votes

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales,  R-Texas, separately announced plans to depart from Congress on Monday ahead of possible expulsion votes related to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell, who has vehemently denied an accusation of sexual assault but acknowledged some past “mistakes in judgment,” said he would resign because it was wrong “for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties.”

“I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me,” he said in a statement. “However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

Shortly afterward, Gonzales released a statement saying he would “file my retirement from office” on Tuesday.

“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” said Gonzales, who has acknowledged an affair with a former member of his staff, a violation of House rules.

Lawmakers had planned to introduce a resolution to expel Swalwell on Tuesday alongside one to expel Gonzales. The resolutions against both lawmakers could have triggered expulsion votes as this week.

The departures of Swalwell and Gonzales - one Democrat and one Republican - would mean the Republicans’ narrow majority in the House remains unchanged if they leave the chamber at the same time.

Swalwell faces accusations of sexual assault from a former staffer, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. Several other women also alleged sexual misconduct in interviews with The Washington Post, CNN and other news outlets.

Gonzales is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for having an affair with a staff member who later set herself on fire and died. He dropped his bid for reelection last month after acknowledging the affair with his former aide, but had said that he would serve out the rest of his term.

Lawmakers, led by Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. , were expected to force a vote on expulsion measures as early as Wednesday.

Swalwell opted to step down rather than face a vote that could have ended his 13-year House career.

Gonzales, meanwhile, did not specify when he will retire, announcing only that when Congress returns on Tuesday, he will “file” his retirement.

Leger Fernández’s office said the congresswoman still plans on filing a resolution to expel Gonzales if he doesn’t resign immediately. The earliest the Leger Fernández can file the motion is 2 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

As news of Gonzales’s retirement broke, Luna, who had said she would support Leger Fernández’s efforts to oust Swalwell and Gonzales, said on X that “we have successfully drained part of the swamp this week with the resignation of two very corrupt members of Congress.”

“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Luna posted.

Swalwell, who briefly ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, ended his California gubernatorial bid on Sunday in the wake of the misconduct allegations. He was among the leading Democratic candidates in the crowded race.

In his statement Monday, Swalwell referenced his colleagues’ efforts to expel him from the House and argued that expelling anyone from Congress “without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong.”

The House Ethics Committee announced the launch of an investigation into the allegations against Swalwell earlier Monday. Committee investigations can take months, if not days, and some House members had signaled that they were willing to expedite the expulsion process before the completion of an Ethics investigation.

A group of House Democrats also asked that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expedite the House Ethics Committee investigations into Swalwell and Gonzales.

One of those Democrats, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan, said on X that the “allegedly criminal behavior and abuses of power by these Members of Congress are disgusting and so obviously unacceptable.”

“Being in Congress does not mean you get to play by a different set of rules,” she said. “If anything, we should be held to a higher standard.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert,  R-Colo., who was pushing for Swalwell and Gonzales to leave Congress, said Monday on X that “nothing about this story brings (me) joy.”

“No, I’m not happy this happened,” Boebert said of Swalwell’s resignation. “I hate that women were victimized by him. I’m horrified his wife and children are having to go through this.”