Pressure is mounting on House lawmakers to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell, the California Democrat accused of sexually inappropriate behavior and assaulting a woman who worked in his congressional office.
It’s also bringing calls to rid the House of other lawmakers accused of serious misbehavior as both Republicans and Democrats battle to prevent an erosion of their numbers in a chamber with a razor-tight party divide.
Republicans and Democrats alike said they would vote to kick out Mr. Swalwell over the bombshell sexual assault claims, which are under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The six-term lawmaker ended his bid for California governor Sunday night after party leaders demanded he quit the race.
While he’s denied the charges, Mr. Swalwell now faces losing his House seat, and in a political tit-for-tat, he could drag along several other lawmakers under scrutiny for their own misdeeds.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Florida Republican, said she will bring up a vote to oust Mr. Swalwell this week and may pair it with a resolution to expel Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican.
Ms. Luna’s announcement set the stage for an even bigger purge by lawmakers calling for resolutions to oust others, among them Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat facing a rare Ethics hearing and federal charges over using millions of dollars in disaster relief money to fund her congressional campaigns. Lawmakers could also target Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican under an Ethics Committee probe for campaign finance violations, misusing congressional office funds and claims of sexual misconduct.
SEE ALSO: House Ethics Committee launches probe into Rep. Swalwell rape claim
Mr. Gonzales is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over his alleged affair with a young woman who worked in his Uvalde, Texas office. The woman died by suicide after setting herself on fire. Mr. Gonzales is not running for a second term.
“Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office.” Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a veteran New York Democrat, said. “Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled.”
Ms. Luna said Sunday that she will seek to pair her motion to expel Mr. Swalwell with Mr. Gonzales if the House rules permit it.
Ms. Luna said she is ready to kick others out, too.
“And you know what? Bring it. I will be voting to expel members of Congress,” she said.
The Washington Times reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson for a comment on the upcoming frenzy to remove lawmakers.
SEE ALSO: Swalwell suspends California gubernatorial bid amid sexual assault allegations
A cascade of expulsion resolutions could complicate an already tricky agenda for the GOP this week.
House Republicans are struggling to come up with the votes to pass an 18-month extension of a surveillance measure in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that will lapse after an April 20 deadline. The legislation faces a perilous committee vote in which lawmakers will attempt to amend the resolution to increase privacy protections. President Trump said he wants a “clean” extension of the law, without privacy protections that could weaken the surveillance tool.
Neither Mr. Johnson nor other top Republicans have responded publicly to the multiple calls for expulsion votes this week.
It would be a first in modern history if the chamber voted to kick out any of the members without first receiving a recommendation from the Ethics Committee. Typically, when a lawmaker brings up a vote to expel a fellow member, the House votes to defer the matter to the Ethics Committee. Swalwell is not under an Ethics investigation but is likely to face one in the near future.
Mr. Gonzales is already under an Ethics Committee probe, as are Mr. Mills and Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick, but the panel has not concluded those investigations.
The Ethics Committee said it plans to hold an April 21 hearing on the charges against Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick “to determine what, if any, sanction would be appropriate for the Committee to recommend.”
The House rarely expels members. It last did so in December 2023, when lawmakers voted to oust Rep. George Santos, New York Republican, for misspending campaign money on Botox, adult entertainment sites, designer clothes and other personal expenses. He later pleaded guilty to theft and wire fraud and was sprung from his 87-month prison sentence by Mr. Trump, who commuted his sentence.
Santos was the first person expelled since 2002, when the House voted to kick out Rep. Jim Traficant, an Ohio Democrat convicted of bribery, racketeering and tax fraud.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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