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

The House Ethics Committee said Monday it’s reviewing allegations that Rep. Jimmy Gomez , D-Calif., “may have engaged in sexual misconduct in violation of the Code of Official Conduct,” including “engaging in inappropriate sexual 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 had “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: “I am deeply sorry to my wife for the pain and embarrassment 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 that 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 said he would not comment further while the investigation is underway.

The New York Post, citing unidentified sources, this year first reported the allegations that Gomez kissed 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 sexual relations with their own staffers and “unwelcome sexual advances or conduct” involving other House staffers. The committee said in its statement that 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.

It recommended this month 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 Aug. 4 that 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 he requested an investigation by the committee hours before the probe was announced.

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

Two other lawmakers, Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned this year amid ethics investigations. Swalwell denied sexual assault allegations but said he had “made mistakes in judgment.” Gonzales acknowledged having had an affair with an aide who 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 Committee announced its recommended sanctions, which could have included expulsion from Congress. She has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to related criminal charges.