The swift resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) to avoid expulsion votes regarding sexual misconduct allegations may trigger a chain reaction on Capitol Hill to remove other lawmakers accused of wrongdoing.
Gonzales stated that he planned to file his retirement from office on Tuesday after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later committed suicide.
‘Congress has serious moral and ethical problems and these four are the face of it.’
On Sunday, Swalwell decided he would suspend his bid for California governor after a former staffer claimed he had previously sexually assaulted her. Swalwell has denied the allegations.
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it would open an investigation into the allegations against Swalwell. That same day, Swalwell stated he would resign from Congress, citing his colleagues’ intent to expel him.
“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members,” Swalwell said. “Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
The recent resignations of Swalwell and Gonzales have renewed bipartisan calls for other scandal-plagued lawmakers to step down. Among those urging immediate action are Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who have publicly called on Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) to resign.
RELATED: ‘You’re a piece of s**t’: Nancy Mace and Cory Mills clash in heated exchange after failed censure
Cory Mills. Drew Angerer/Getty Images. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The House Ethics Committee effectively found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty in March of 25 counts of financial misconduct and campaign-finance violations related to the misuse of federal relief funds. She was accused of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.
The committee opened an investigation into Mills in November regarding several allegations, including claims that the congressman failed to disclose necessary information to the House, violated campaign finance laws, improperly accepted gifts and special favors, engaged in sexual misconduct, and misused congressional resources.
Blaze News was the first to report the bombshell sextortion accusations against Mills from former Miss United States Lindsey Langston.
Mills has also been accused of stolen valor, with multiple veterans and former colleagues previously telling Blaze News that he fabricated or exaggerated key elements of his military record.
On Monday, Mace declared that it is “time to clean house.”
“We don’t care what party you’re in. Stealing millions in taxpayer dollars, sexually assaulting your staff, lying about your service record, none of it is acceptable and none of it goes unnoticed,” Mace stated. “Congress has serious moral and ethical problems and these four are the face of it. Washington has protected its own for too long. It needs to end now. We’re calling on these four to resign or face expulsion.”
Velázquez made similar comments on Monday, writing in a post on X, “Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office.”
“Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled,” Velázquez stated.
RELATED: ‘Mutually assured destruction’: Another disgraced lawmaker to resign from Congress over sex scandal
Nancy Mace. Heather Diehl/Getty Images. Nydia Velazquez. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Mace, who has been leading the charge to remove Mills, forced a censure vote against Mills in November over “alleged stolen valor, arms deals he’s under investigation for and alleged abuses toward women.” It failed in a 310-103 vote, with 204 Republicans and 106 Democrats supporting Mills.
Mace claimed that a censure against Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), who was accused of colluding with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing, had previously failed because Mills arranged a “backroom deal” to suppress his own censure.
Mills was accused of similar allegations in September when he voted to protect Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from censure. Mills was the deciding vote.
“Another backroom deal so Cory Mills can’t get censored [sic] for Stolen Valor,” Mace stated in a November post on X. “I have the General who ‘recommended’ him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it. This. Is. Washington.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated Tuesday that he is “looking into” the House Ethics investigation into Mills.
Mills’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
