Jimmy Gomez

By Michael Gold, New York Times

The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it was investigating whether Rep. Jimmy Gomez had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer, as the California Democrat conceded he had made “personal mistakes” outside his marriage.

Gomez, 51, who represents parts of Los Angeles, said in a statement that he regretted his mistakes, but he denied any wrongdoing, saying that his actions “were consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules.”

“That doesn’t diminish the impact that these mistakes have made on those I care about the most,” Gomez said. “I take full responsibility and have committed myself to working through the pain privately with my wife and family.”

House rules instituted in 2018, after the #MeToo movement focused attention on sexual misconduct in the workplace, forbid members from engaging in sexual conduct with their own aides or those working on committees on which they serve. But the rules do not bar lawmakers from having relationships with other staff members whom they do not supervise.

In the statement announcing the investigation, Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., chair of the Ethics Committee, and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., cited a clause of the rules that prohibits members from “unwelcome sexual advances or conduct” toward other lawmakers or House employees.

The inquiry into Gomez’s conduct comes months after the resignations of two lawmakers facing sexual misconduct accusations — Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas — forced the House to confront its handling of such complaints.

Gomez, who joined Congress in 2017, had been chair of Swalwell’s campaign for governor but withdrew from the position after Swalwell was accused of sexually assaulting a former staff member and of sexual misconduct with other women, charges he denies.

The Ethics Committee did not provide details on what prompted its investigation and noted in its statement that the mere fact of the inquiry did not indicate that any wrongdoing had been found. But the New York Post reported in April that Gomez had kissed a member of another office’s congressional staff in 2023. CNN reported in June that the committee was investigating Gomez, who is running for reelection against another Democrat.

The committee, a bipartisan panel responsible for policing members’ behavior, has been under pressure from several lawmakers and outside groups who complain that it is too slow to investigate claims of misconduct.

Earlier this month, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., ended his reelection campaign after the panel said that it had “substantial reason to believe” that he “violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.” That investigation took fewer than four months, according to the committee’s report.

House leaders have tasked Reps. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., to propose changes to how the Ethics Committee handles such allegations.

Several lawmakers have proposed that the House change its code of conduct to prohibit members of Congress from having sexual relationships with any staff member.