Momentum Grows for Expulsion of Multiple Scandal-Ridden House Lawmakers

Momentum is building to expel a pair of scandal-ridden members of Congress following a series of bombshell accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who is also running for governor of California.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican, said over the weekend that she will attempt to force a vote on expelling Swalwell from the chamber. In response, Democrats said they would also force a vote on the expulsion of Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who was accused of sexual misconduct earlier this year.

Luna quickly signed onto the idea of removing both colleagues, writing on X: “I 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.”

A growing number of lawmakers in both parties co-signed the idea of expelling the pair on Sunday, including Reps. Byron Donalds, Pramila Jayapal, Jared Huffman, Mike Lawler and Nancy Mace.

“These allegations are despicable and they demean the integrity of Congress,” Donalds said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning. “As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home.”

The flurry of denouncements comes just days after a former Swalwell staffer told the San Francisco Chronicle that the California congressman sexually assaulted her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent to the encounters. The staffer confirmed her accusations to NOTUS and detailed a cease-and-desist letter she received from Swalwell’s legal team, which stated that the allegations were “fatally undermined by your voluntary and cooperative relationship with Mr. Swalwell over the course of many years following the period.”

A former Capitol Hill intern also told NOTUS that Swalwell added her on Snapchat, and that his correspondence shifted from professional to sexual in nature — including an invitation to his hotel.

Swalwell denied the accusations in a social media video posted to multiple platforms on Friday.

“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They’re absolutely false,” he said. “They did not happen. They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have.”

Gonzales, meanwhile, has admitted to carrying out an affair with a married staff member, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died by self-immolation last year.

“I made a mistake, and there was a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said in a YouTube interview with conservative radio host Joe Pagliarulo. “Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife Angel, I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever.”

It’s unclear whether a measure to expel both members would garner enough support to pass — expulsion requires a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican leadership have not publicly weighed in on the matter.

But if the effort succeeds, some members are looking to push a long-shot effort to expel two more members facing scandals.

The first is Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican who is facing a litany of allegations including domestic violence, stolen valor and financial misconduct. The second is Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat who was found guilty by the Ethics Committee last month of violating more than two dozen House rules, including money laundering, making false statements, violating campaign-finance rules and misusing official funds.

“We’re a yes on this,” Mace wrote in a post on X signaling her preference to expel all four members.

“Clean house. Every last one of them,” she added.