Swalwell, Gonzales resignations signal new push for accountability in Congress
Congress looks like it’s living through a #MeToo, Part 2 moment—only this time it’s showing up in committee rooms, press briefings, and resignation letters instead of just headlines. This week, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas announced their resignations from the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of expected expulsion votes.
Both men face serious allegations of sexual misconduct, and what made the story move fast wasn’t only the accusations—it was the unusual, bipartisan chorus from colleagues who pushed them to step down. In a system where members often wait, or posture, or fight to the last minute, the departures landed with a kind of jolt.
On the Democratic side, Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor over the weekend after two outlets published accusations of sexual assault by a former staffer and other women came forward with stories of sexual harassment. He said in a statement that he plans to resign his seat, denied the most serious allegations, and apologized for “mistakes in judgment.” Then, on Tuesday, another woman gave a press conference accusing him of sexual assault, and her attorney said they planned to file a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. You could feel the rawness of it in the way the moment unfolded—someone in the room kept shifting in their chair, and the air had that dry, stale press-conference smell.
Gonzales, meanwhile, has admitted to an extramarital affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, and he said he will file his retirement from Congress on Tuesday. His departure comes in a different tone from Swalwell’s apology—less about a campaign pause and more about closing the chapter after the long, ugly trail of allegations. Still, the shared framework matters: both resignations are tied directly to expected expulsion votes, and both followed pressure that crossed party lines.
The pressure is spreading beyond just these two. Misryoum newsroom reported that two other House members—both from Florida—are also facing calls to resign and potential expulsion votes, though the accusations against them do not involve sexual misconduct. Republican Rep. Cory Mills faces accusations ranging from domestic violence to stolen valor, and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick faces federal charges for allegedly stealing $5 million in pandemic relief funds that she used to support her campaign. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday he believed Representative Cherfilus-McCormick should be expelled.
Behind the scenes, the House Ethics Committee has opened investigations into all four members. An Ethics subcommittee has already found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of multiple violations, and the full committee is expected to determine next week what consequences it will recommend. And that matters too, because unlike the usual political theater, the committee process has its own clock—one that doesn’t stop just because Congress is busy.
Misryoum editorial desk noted that some lawmakers and observers see fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as part of the engine driving this push for sunlight and accountability. Former lawmakers have demanded the release of files tied to Epstein, and the steady drip of information has ignited public anger and mistrust. Misryoum analysis indicates that this “Epstein effect” could be creating more pressure on people not to let bad behavior go unaddressed, especially when members believe the public won’t accept excuses anymore.
Even so, expelling members is historically rare. The process requires a two-thirds vote in the House or Senate, making bipartisan agreement effectively a prerequisite. With the most recent expulsion being former New York Republican Rep. George Santos in 2023, the bar is high by design. Legal ethics experts Misryoum editorial desk interviewed emphasized that there are constitutional concerns when Congress expels members based on conduct—because doing it too readily could distort the electoral process.
Misryoum newsroom reported that, prior to this week’s resignations, Representative Anna Paulina Luna had planned to file a motion to expel Swalwell, while Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández was leading an effort to expel Gonzales. Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer to former President George W. Bush, argued that raising questions at all about expelling four members at once forces a careful look at how Congress balances its authority to police itself against voters’ will. When it comes to Swalwell and Gonzales, Painter said he believes that bar has been met.
And yet the deeper shift may be the culture on Capitol Hill itself. Experts say members increasingly take it upon themselves to call out colleagues’ misbehavior, and they point to a tit-for-tat pattern that makes censorship and expulsion feel like political leverage rather than a last resort. Last November, at least four different members from both parties introduced resolutions to censure others over a single week, and some became so frustrated with floor time that they tried to pass a law to raise the bar to censure someone.
So where does all this leave Congress? The resignations won’t change the balance of power in the House, which remains razor-thin. But they do change the mood. People inside and outside Washington are watching whether this week’s departures are treated like exceptions—or whether, for once, the system actually moves at the speed of the allegations.
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