The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it has opened a formal investigation into Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif. over allegations of sexual misconduct, including what the committee described as "inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer."
Gomez's accuser's attorneys told CNN that she informed the committee he sexually assaulted her—a characterization that goes beyond the language in the committee's public announcement.
Gomez, who has represented portions of Los Angeles since 2017, acknowledged what he called personal mistakes outside his marriage but denied breaking any law or House rules. "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," Gomez said in a statement. "I take full responsibility and have committed myself to working through the pain privately with my wife and family."
He said he respects the committee's process and is confident a full review will vindicate him.
The Ethics Committee probe follows a New York Post report published in April that described Gomez kissing a member of another congressional office's staff in 2023. A Gomez spokesperson denied the accounts at the time. Gomez later issued the statement acknowledging personal mistakes he characterized as consensual.
Gomez faces a November reelection contest against Angela Gonzales-Torres, a community advocate and fellow Democrat. The intraparty challenge has put his political standing in Los Angeles under direct pressure. In a June statement posted on X, Gonzales-Torres argued there appears to be "a culture in Congress in which men abuse women" and said that if Gomez "has nothing to hide, he should have no concern."
The investigation is one of several sexual misconduct inquiries moving through the House Ethics Committee this Congress. Earlier this month, Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, announced he was dropping his reelection campaign after the committee recommended he face a censure vote over allegations of harassing two young female staffers. Edwards denied those allegations.
In April, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California resigned his House seat as allegations of sexual assault and misconduct surfaced—allegations Swalwell also denied. Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned from the House after he admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.
