WASHINGTON — Allegations of sexual harassment that violated the request of Rep. California governor Eric Swalwell is now threatening to end his congressional career as lawmakers from both parties say they will support a vote to oust him from the legislature.
Swalwell left a California management school on Sunday night after allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by a former employee and other women ended his campaign and fired those closest to him. But Swalwell, who denies the allegations, has not said whether he intends to resign from his position.
The allegations, detailed in reports by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN, drew swift bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers calling the allegations “disgusting” and calling for his resignation or impeachment.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is leading the charge to impeach Swalwell. In Monday’s interview, Luna said he plans to file a motion early Tuesday on the grounds that he violated House rules by allegedly having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate. A vote on the floor of the House could be forced as early as Wednesday, he said.
Democrats have called on Swalwell to step down, but when it comes to impeachment, they won’t be against Swalwell alone. They also pushed to impeach Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who pleaded guilty last month to a sexual relationship with an employee who died by suicide. Luna thinks there is enough support to do both.
“I think we have the votes to fire them both,” Luna said in an interview Monday morning. “If we do not hold our organizations accountable, that is a disservice to us as a whole.”
Luna wrote a letter to his colleagues on Monday afternoon urging them to support the dismissal of Swalwell and Gonzales, saying that it is the responsibility of all members “to be accountable, especially if it embarrasses the institution.”
In the letter, reviewed by The Times, Luna urged House leaders to bring proposals to a vote on Wednesday “so we can get rid of corruption and get back to the business of making life better for the American people.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Democrat of New Mexico, said she would support a motion to fire Swalwell and introduce a motion to fire Gonzales.
“As I said, Gonzales and Swalwell are not ready to work in Congress considering their sex crimes against the women they work for,” Fernández wrote in X on Sunday. “They should resign or be fired.”
If successful, the expulsion would be the first in congressional history on grounds of sexual misconduct, and among the rare instances in the House’s 237-year history that members have fired their own.
Only six members were expelled from the House. Three were for the Confederacy, two were convicted of bribery and one was fraudster George Santos, whose sentence was overturned by President Trump.
If Swalwell were to be fired or resign, he would still be eligible for a pension and other benefits offered to other former members, including the ability to enter the House floor and access to the congressional gym.
Although most of Swalwell’s staff have resigned, the remaining staff who are not involved in community service will lose their jobs and receive no severance pay.
Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute, which focuses on congressional reform, says this practice is unfair.
“I think the House owes them a duty for what they have to go through,” Schuman said.
Ethics expert Meredith McGehee said members have been reluctant to fire their colleagues in recent years because of the razor-thin majority in the House, but not doing so harms the institution’s credibility.
“It’s very important right now that the House take action to impeach these men who have been wrongfully accused,” said McGehee, former executive director of the ethics watchdog Issue One. “Letting one of them stay in office and finish his term would be a challenge.”
Swalwell’s scandal could lead to more calls for him to be sacked. Some lawmakers want two more members to be swept from any impeachment vote: Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who has been charged with sexual harassment, and Rep. Sheila Cherfilous-McCormick (D-Fla.), who was indicted on charges of embezzling $5 million in federal disaster campaign funds and using it to finance a political campaign.
“Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills must resign. If they refuse, they must be fired,” wrote Rep. Nydia Velazquez (DN.Y.) at X on Monday. “The American people deserve better and Congress must hold our members accountable.”
Any impeachment would require a two-thirds majority vote, or 290 out of 435 votes if each member of the House participates. The Senate will not need to agree to a House vote to make the impeachment effective, but it remains to be seen whether the House can meet the three-thirds majority.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) said in an interview with MS Now on Sunday that he plans to hold talks with his caucus on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We plan to have a discussion first among the leadership on Tuesday when we get back,” said Jeffries. “Also, we will meet as a caucus on Wednesday morning to have a discussion about impeachment decisions and expulsion decisions.”
Jeffries added that, at this time, the allegations are “very serious” and “require a thorough investigation.”
On Monday, the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct against Swalwell.
In a statement, the Republican-led committee said it will look into whether Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or responsibilities, in relation to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including with an employee working under his supervision.”
The committee’s statement stated that “the fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not indicate that there is a violation of existing laws.”
