An anonymous woman told the House Ethics Committee that her interactions with Rep. Jimmy Gomez were not “consensual in nature,” her attorneys said in a statement.
On Monday, the committee launched an investigation into the California Democrat based on allegations of sexual harassment and assault. He’s one of several House lawmakers to face an ethics probe related to sexual misconduct accusations this session.
“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,” attorneys Lisa Banks and Sarah Nesbitt wrote in a joint statement on Wednesday, calling Gomez’s actions the “latest example of brazen sexual misconduct” on the Hill.
A Gomez spokesperson said they had no comment on the attorneys’ statement and referred NOTUS to a previous statement by Gomez: “Out of respect for my family and the ongoing process, I will have no further comment.”
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The committee’s investigation into Gomez includes allegations of sexual misconduct with a House staffer. Under the House Ethics code of conduct, members of Congress are not explicitly forbidden from pursuing relationships with staffers outside of their office or committee assignments — a rule that some members want to see changed. Members cannot have relationships with staffers within their own office or committees.
“Although my 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 in a statement Monday after the committee announced its investigation.
The anonymous woman’s attorneys refuted Gomez’s claims that his conduct was “consensual in nature” in their statement Wednesday.
It’s unclear whether the woman in question was a member of Gomez’s own staff or worked in another congressional office. The attorneys told NOTUS they could not reveal additional information about her role in Congress.
In April, the New York Post reported that Gomez had been seen kissing an aide from another representative’s office at a party hosted by former Rep. Eric Swalwell in 2023. Gomez, who is married, founded the Congressional Dads Caucus that same year.
While investigating the 2023 allegation, the committee uncovered other accusations, sources told CNN in June.
Gomez was close to Swalwell and Sen. Ruben Gallego while all three served in the House. In the past year, Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign, which Gomez formerly chaired, and stepped down from Congress following accusations of sexual misconduct. Gallego and Gomez have since been questioned about their relationship with Swalwell while also facing scrutiny over their conduct with other staffers.
Gomez is one of several House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who face ethics investigations and pressure to resign from office or give up their reelection campaigns.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) stepped down this year after admitting to a relationship with a former staffer. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-North Carolina) ended his reelection campaign amid accusations of inappropriate behavior toward female staffers. Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) demanded an investigation into himself over allegations of domestic and child abuse. And Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida), who is currently under investigation, lost his primary on Tuesday to a former television news anchor.
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