U.S. House impeachment managers Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) delivers part of the impeachment managers’ opening arguments in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on the floor of the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 10, 2021.
US Senate TV via Reuters
The House Ethics Committee on Monday issued a rare, long statement She outlines her work to root out sexual misconduct in Congress, as pressure increases on lawmakers to crack down on misdeeds in the wake of two high-profile resignations.
Democrat Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas both resigned from the House last week amid allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to assault, and some lawmakers are calling for a broader crackdown on elected official misdeeds.
“The (Committee) on Ethics is dedicated to maintaining the Congressional workplace free of sexual misconduct and ensuring that anyone responsible for misconduct is held accountable for their behavior,” the committee wrote in its statement. “There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination in the halls of Congress or in any employment setting.”
Along with its statement, the committee also published a list of Publicly disclosed sexual harassment investigation Dating back to 1976 (the committee was Established in 1967).
The House Ethics Committee is a non-partisan panel known for doing most of its work behind closed doors. It releases information when it begins an investigation or when it completes an investigation, but does not otherwise make public statements.
This panel has often been criticized for its glacial pace, and has Target of recent increased scrutiny.
Gonzales was accused of having an affair with an employee who died by suicide last year. Swalwell, who until recently was the front-runner for governor of California, has faced several allegations, including an allegation from a former staffer who said Congressman assaulted him When she was so drunk that she was unable to give consent. Swalwell has repeatedly denied those allegations.
Both men announced their plans to resign on April 13 and officially exited the House the following day. The Ethics Committee had announced investigation of both, but the investigation ended after the resignation of the MPs.
On Sunday, California Representative Mark DeSaulnier, the top Democrat on the House ethics panel, posted a his/her x account details Called for a “zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment and workforce discrimination in the House of Representatives”. DeSaulnier called the allegations against Swalwell “deeply troubling.”
“Victims must be protected and perpetrators must be held fully and swiftly accountable for their actions. I want to use this moment to emphasize exactly that, so accountability is not optional and silence is not the default,” DeSaulnier wrote.
According to the committee statement, the panel has investigated “20 cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct by a member” since 2017. The document released by the committee lists only 15 such investigations, which suggests there may be other allegations that have not been made public.