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Upwards of four lawmakers are being asked to resign or risk expulsion from the House of Representatives \u2014 including Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who\u2019s facing multiple sexual misconduct allegations and a House Ethics Committee probe, among other investigations.<\/p>\n
In addition, Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), and Cory Mills (R-FL) are facing scrutiny over various controversies of their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office,\u201d Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez<\/a> (D-NY) posted to X on Monday morning. \u201cReps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled. Americans deserve better and Congress must hold our members accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Swalwell and Gonzales seem to be facing the most calls for expulsion, however, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posting over the weekend that she\u2019s exploring the possibility. Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote in the chamber in order to be successful, and only six individuals have been removed in history.<\/p>\n \u201cI will be inquiring in the morning with the house parliamentarian to see if I can pair my motion to expel Eric Swalwell with Rep Tony Gonzalez. Both NEED to go,\u201d the Florida Republican wrote on Sunday.<\/p>\n On Sunday night, she doubled down after Swalwell said that he was suspending<\/a> his campaign to become California\u2019s next governor, but stopped short of announcing his resignation from Congress.<\/p>\n \u201cYou broke House rules and are a predator. You have 24 hours to announce you are resigning. Both you and Tony are a disgrace,\u201d Luna replied.<\/p>\n Multiple women have alleged sexual misconduct against Swalwell, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is now looking into the allegations, as one reported assault occurred in New York City, according to NBC New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for the ethics probe, the committee said in a statement on Monday afternoon that they will be examining whether he \u201cviolated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n There seems to be a degree of bipartisan traction for the removals of both Swalwell and Gonzales, who had an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Congressman Gonzales. I would,\u201d Rep. Pramila Jayapal<\/a> (D-WA) told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on Sunday when asked if she would vote to remove Swalwell.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve already said that I think that these things, these charges and allegations and the pattern of abuse and in Congressman Gonzales\u2019 case he actually admitted to the affair with the- or to the, you know, harassment with his staffer. This is also important for staffers across the Capitol to see that their bosses don\u2019t get to do this to them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n However, not everybody is convinced that expulsion is the best route, especially for Gonzales and Mills.<\/p>\n \u201cDemocrats are attempting to lump together Gonzales and Mills in their censure push because their own member, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, is almost certain to face expulsion in the coming weeks,\u201d a GOP aide granted anonymity in order to speak freely told The Daily Wire in a statement. \u201cThey are content throwing Swalwell to the wolves if it means they can drag Republicans through the mud with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaker Mike Johnson has previously cautioned against expulsion as an action taken against members, including when former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled in 2023 prior to his fraud conviction. Santos\u2019 sentence was later commuted by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we couldn\u2019t block it. It was a privileged resolution, which means it gets to come to the floor within two days of filing. And it was a regrettable day,\u201d Johnson said at the time. \u201cYou know, prior to yesterday, only five people had ever been expelled from Congress. Three were Confederates, two were convicted of federal charges. And George Santos has not been convicted in a court. You know, our party believes in the rule of law and due process, and we\u2019re deeply concerned about preserving those things. And, you know, maybe he will be convicted by a jury of his peers, but that hasn\u2019t happened yet. And that\u2019s why we had reservations about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mills is currently under a House Ethics Committee investigation<\/a> for a range of allegations from \u201csexual misconduct and\/or dating violence\u201d to allegedly not following \u201ccampaign finance laws and regulations in connection with his 2022 and 2024 election campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Cherfilus-McCormick is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds for her congressional campaign, and she was recently found guilty on allegations made at the House Ethics Committee level, Axios<\/a> reported last month.<\/p>\n The chamber currently holds a narrow 217-214 Republican majority, which will expand to 218-214 once Republican Clay Fuller (R-GA) is sworn in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n