House ethics panel says it’s investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over alleged ‘***ual misconduct’

The House Ethics Committee on Monday said it’s reviewing allegations that Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., “may have engaged in ***ual misconduct in violation of the Code of Official Conduct,” including “engaging in inappropriate ***ual contact with a House staffer.”

“The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the panel’s chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., said in a statement.

“No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules,” the statement said.

The married Gomez, who formed a Congressional Dads Caucus back in 2023, said in a statement that he’d “made personal mistakes outside my marriage” and would cooperate with the probe.

“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,” the statement said. “I take full responsibility and have committed myself to working through the pain privately with my wife and family.”

He added that “I am deeply sorry to my wife for the pain and embarr***ment that I have brought into our lives. Her sacrifices and support are central to my ability to serve, and I can only feel gratitude for her grace and strength.”

Gomez noted the committee’s statement “does not itself indicate that any violation occurred. I respect the Committee’s process and am confident that a full and impartial review of the facts will bear that out.”

He added he would not comment any further while the investigation is underway.

The New York Post, citing unidentified sources, first reported earlier this year the allegations about Gomez kissing a younger aide. The report said the incident happened in 2023 and identified the woman as a staffer for another Democratic congressman.

House ethics rules bar members from having ***ual relations with their own staffers, and “unwelcome ***ual advances or conduct” involving other House staffers. The committee’s statement said it is investigating whether there were violations of either of those rules.

The probe comes during a busy year for the Ethics Committee, which is made up of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats.

Earlier this month, it recommended that the full House censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., after it found that he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” Edwards, who repeatedly denied wrongdoing, later announced he was dropping his re-election bid.

The panel announced on Aug. 4 it had opened a probe into whether Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, engaged in “domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the Code of Official Conduct.”

Miller has denied any wrongdoing, and requested an investigation by the committee hours before the probe was announced.

The committee is also examining allegations of “***ual misconduct and/or dating violence” and campaign finance violations involving Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fl., who has denied misconduct.

Two other lawmakers, Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, both resigned from their seats earlier this year amid ethics investigations. Swalwell denied ***ual ***ault allegations but said he’d “made mistakes in judgment.” Gonzales acknowledged having had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide.

Another, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., was found guilty of 25 ethics violations by the committee and resigned in April before the ethics panel announced its recommended sanctions for her, which could have included expulsion from Congress. She has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to related criminal charges.