WASHINGTON — Two United States lawmakers stepped down on Monday and two more faced possible expulsion over a series of scandals that have rattled both parties and thrown the House of Representatives into turmoil.
Democrat Eric Swalwell of California, who had already ended his bid to become governor, announced his resignation from Congress on Monday via X, after multiple women accused him of sexual assault or misconduct.
Hours later, Texas Republican Tony Gonzales announced plans to retire from office in an X post, amid mounting pressure after acknowledging an affair with a former aide who later died by self-immolation. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders had already urged him not to seek reelection.
Lawmakers are still zeroing in on separate controversies involving two Florida lawmakers — Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Republican Cory Mills — in an unusual push for disciplinary action.
“Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office,” Democrat Nydia Velazquez representing New York state posted on X, calling on all four to resign and adding that “if they refuse, they should be expelled”.
Expulsion from the House requires a two-thirds majority, a threshold so high that Congress has wielded the sanction only in the gravest cases, removing just six members in its 237-year history.
Swalwell’s troubles intensified rapidly over the weekend as reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN detailed allegations from four women, including a former staff member who said he sexually assaulted her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent.
Swalwell has apologized for what he called “mistakes in judgment” while insisting the accusations are false. He suspended his campaign to become governor of California, but this did little to calm the uproar in Washington, where calls for him to resign from the House spread across party lines.
“I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make,” Swalwell said.
Republican Anna Paulina Luna had been set to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to expel Swalwell, and support for votes to oust the other three has come from an ideologically wide group of lawmakers.
Agencies via Xinhua
2 congressmen resign as House braces for rare expulsions
