Topline
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for “sexual harassment and assault,” according to a statement from an accuser’s lawyers released on Wednesday, saying their contact was not consensual after the California Democrat admitted to and apologized for having a “consensual” relationship outside of his marriage.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Rep. Jimmy Gomez engaged in sexual misconduct with a House staffer.
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Key Facts
The House Ethics Committee on Monday announced an investigation into Gomez, the five-term representative for parts of Los Angeles, looking into whether he “may have engaged in sexual misconduct.”
The committee is specifically examining if he violated a rule prohibiting sexual relationships with any staffers that work under their supervision.
In a statement given to multiple outlets, Gomez admitted he had made “personal mistakes outside my marriage,” but also insisted his actions were “consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules.”
However, lawyers representing one accuser interviewed by the committee refuted this on Wednesday, insisting “his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client.”
It is not clear whether the accuser represented by the lawyers is the same person Gomez was referring to in the first statement.
Crucial Quote
“This is just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress. Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job,” the statement from lawyers Lisa J. Banks and Sarah E. Nesbitt reads. Two members of Congress have resigned so far in 2026 over sexual assault allegations—Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, both of whom stepped down in April despite initially denying the accusations. Similar misconduct allegations have already impacted the 2026 midterm elections—Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., ended his reelection campaign earlier this month after the House Ethics Committee recommended his censure over sexual harassment allegations. Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., lost a primary challenge on Tuesday after months of sexual misconduct and domestic abuse claims. Mills, a close ally of President Donald Trump, is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. On Wednesday, Trump said he told Mills to “get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Key Background
The Ethics Committee investigation into Gomez was first reported by CNN in June. Around the same time, the New York Post reported multiple witnesses saw him kissing a former Swalwell aide outside a party that happened three years earlier. The Post’s reporting has not been independently corroborated, but current House ethics rules do not prohibit members of Congress from having consensual relationships with the staff of other members— only staff who work under their supervision. Multiple members of Congress have proposed revamping how sexual misconduct claims are handled. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., are working on legislation that would overhaul the system, including explicitly prohibiting relationships between representatives and all staffers, Politico reported.