Swalwell and Gonzales both resign as House Ethics probes open

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a seven-term California Democrat who had represented the state's 14th Congressional District since 2013, announced on April 13, 2026, that he would resign from Congress. The resignation came hours after CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle published allegations from four women accusing him of sexual misconduct. A former staffer told CNN and the Chronicle that Swalwell raped her twice while she worked directly for him — once in Washington, D.C. and once in his Bay Area home — on nights when she was heavily intoxicated and unable to consent. Three other women alleged he sent unsolicited explicit messages, nude photos, or made unwanted sexual advances. Swalwell denied all allegations and said he would fight back.

A second woman, Lonna Drewes, came forward on April 15, 2026, two days after Swalwell's resignation, alleging that Swalwell drugged her and sexually assaulted her in his West Hollywood hotel room in 2018. She said she had met Swalwell socially and agreed to meet him a third time when he said he needed to retrieve paperwork from his hotel. Drewes said she had consumed only one glass of wine. Swalwell's attorney called all allegations "false, fabricated and deeply offensive" and said he would "fight these despicable and baseless accusations with the same tenacity, courage, and conviction that has defined the Congressman's public service."

Swalwell had been a frontrunner in California's 2026 gubernatorial race. He dropped out of the race on Sunday, April 11, after prominent Democratic allies including Reps. Jimmy Gomez and Adam Gray (both California Democrats and co-chairs of his campaign) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew their endorsements and called on him to step aside. Pelosi said the allegations "must be respected and heard" and should be investigated outside the gubernatorial context.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican who had represented Texas's 23rd Congressional District since 2021, announced his resignation about an hour after Swalwell on April 13, 2026. Gonzales had admitted in early March 2026 to an affair with a former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide. In March, Gonzales appeared on the Joe Pags podcast and said "I had a lapse in judgment and there was a lack of faith," adding that he had "asked God for forgiveness." Additional reporting by the San Antonio Express-News in April revealed that in June 2020, during his first congressional campaign, Gonzales sent sexually explicit texts to another campaign staffer, asking questions like "What kind of panties do you wear?" and repeatedly soliciting nude photos. That second staffer said the relationship never became physical.

After Gonzales finished second in the March 2026 Republican primary in his district, facing a May runoff, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leadership urged him to withdraw from his reelection bid rather than resign immediately. Gonzales withdrew from the race in early March. He initially denied the allegations and claimed the reports were a blackmail attempt, but later admitted to the affair after Gonzales's story spread online and major news organizations reported it.

The House Ethics Committee announced on April 13, 2026, that it was opening formal investigations into both Swalwell and Gonzales on the same day both announced their resignations. Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) jointly announced the investigation into Swalwell. A separate joint statement covered Gonzales. Both statements noted that opening an investigation does not itself indicate a violation occurred. Within hours of the Ethics Committee announcements, both men announced they would resign.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) had agreed to draft cross-party expulsion resolutions — Luna targeting Swalwell, Fernández targeting Gonzales. This arrangement was designed to protect both efforts from claims of partisan retribution. Numerous members from both parties said publicly they would vote to expel both men. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote (290 members, given current vacancies) for expulsion. Only six House members have ever been expelled: three Confederate sympathizers in 1861, Michael Myers in 1980 for bribery, James Traficant in 2002 for corruption, and George Santos in December 2023 after a House Ethics Committee report. In the modern era, members nearly always resign before an expulsion vote to avoid the formal removal record.

When a member of Congress resigns, the House Ethics Committee loses all jurisdiction over that member immediately. This is why both Swalwell and Gonzales resigned before the Ethics Committee could complete its investigations, issue formal findings, or recommend sanctions. Neither the Ethics Committee nor the House can investigate them further once they're no longer members. Criminal investigations by prosecutors in New York City and Alameda County, California (for Swalwell) and by state prosecutors in Texas (for Gonzales) continue independently, since criminal liability doesn't depend on congressional membership or the Ethics Committee's process.