Two U.S. Congressmen Resign Over Allegations of Misconduct

What Happened?

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, and Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, each resigned this week due to allegations of misconduct while in office. Mr. Swalwell first suspended his campaign for Governor of California following allegations of sexual assault, then he resigned his Congressional seat. Mr. Gonzales resigned following allegations of an illicit affair with a former staffer who committed suicide.

Both men were facing Congressional investigations for their alleged misconduct. Mr. Swalwell and Mr. Gonzales claimed the allegations against them were false. 

Why it Matters

The resignations affected both major U.S. political parties, with the mid-term elections coming up in November. Ethics investigations are internal Congressional matters, and unless evidence of criminal conduct was uncovered, the resignations should put an end to the ethics inquiries against both men in Congress. If potential criminal activities were unearthed during the ethics probe, that type of evidence is typically shared with the appropriate law enforcement agency. 

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Mr. Swalwell was accused of sexual harassment and assaulting a staff member, and though he denied all misconduct claims against him, it remained unclear how many of those claims had been made. Though he did not admit any wrongdoing, Mr. Swalwell submitted a letter of resignation on Tuesday, saying he was ‘deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgement I've made in my past.’

After initially calling the allegations untrue and baseless, Mr. Gonzales finally admitted he had an affair with a former staffer who later committed suicide, though he denied having any role in her death. Mr. Gonzales also submitted a short resignation letter saying, ‘It has been my privilege to serve the residents of Texas's 23rd congressional district.’ Though Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Swalwell resigned from Congress, they will retain their pensions and benefits from Congressional service.

The resignations will not alter the current political balance of power in Congress since each party lost a single representative. The early departure from Congress by both men did set off a flurry of activity by both parties to find candidates to run for those now vacant Congressional seats. Because every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is up for election in November, the new candidates will have until November to make their case to voters. 

With such a narrow majority margin in the U.S. House of Representatives, even flipping a single seat could give one party a newfound advantage. Based on the history of both districts, it is likely both will remain under the control of the same political party.

How it Affects You

With issues like the war with Iran dominating public attention, what would usually be a headline-grabbing story about Congressional misconduct may not generate as much attention as expected. Both major political parties already have historically low approval ratings, as does Congress in general. These two resignations could push that approval rating even lower. 

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