Eric Swalwell resignation over sex misconduct prompts Ethics panel remarks
U.S. House impeachment manager Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., delivers part of the impeachment managers’ opening statement at the impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump on charges of inciting the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on the floor of the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 10, 2021.
US Senate TV via Reuters
The House Ethics Committee released a report on Monday. rare, long description She outlines her work to root out sexual harassment in Congress as lawmakers feel increasing pressure to address bad behavior by lawmakers following two high-profile resignations.
California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales resigned from the House last week amid allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to assault, and some lawmakers are calling for a broader crackdown on misdeeds by elected officials.
“The Ethics Committee (the Committee) is committed to maintaining a congressional workplace free of sexual misconduct and ensuring that those responsible for misconduct are held accountable for their actions,” the committee said in its statement. “There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment or discrimination in the halls of Congress or in any employment environment.”
The committee published a list in its statement. Sexual assault investigations made public Dating back to 1976 (committee Founded in 1967).
The House Ethics Committee is a nonpartisan body known for conducting much of its work behind closed doors. It releases information when an investigation is initiated or completed, but otherwise tends not to make public statements.
The panel was frequently exposed to fire due to its glacial speed and recently increased target of scrutiny.
Gonzales was accused of having an affair with an employee who died by suicide last fall. Swalwell, who until recently was a front-runner in the California gubernatorial race, has faced numerous allegations, including one from a former staffer: Congressman attacked him when you are too drunk to consent. Swalwell has repeatedly denied these allegations.
Both men announced their plans to resign on 13 April and formally left the House the next day. The Ethics Committee announced that it would launch an investigation into both of them, but these investigations ended with the resignation of the MPs.
On Sunday, California Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the top Democrat on the House Ethics panel, posted: Statement made to account X He called for a “zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and workforce discrimination in the House of Representatives.” DeSaulnier called the allegations against Swalwell “deeply disturbing.”
“Victims must be protected and perpetrators must be held fully and swiftly accountable for their actions. I plan to use this moment to do exactly that, so accountability is not optional and silence is not the default option,” DeSaulnier said. he wrote.
The panel has been investigating “20 matters involving allegations of sexual harassment by a Member” since 2017, according to the committee’s statement. The document released by the committee lists only 15 such investigations, suggesting there are a handful of other allegations that have not been made public.
