Yet another member of Congress was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee amid allegations of inappropriate advances on a staffer, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) was at the center of the investigation, an issue that has become a priority on Capitol Hill and among lawmakers.
According to three anonymous sources, "the panel had made early reach outs in its attempt to follow up on a New York Post story, which alleged Gomez (D-CA) had been spotted kissing an aide, who worked for a different member of Congress, outside a backyard party in 2023," according to the report.
Gomez, who is married, has denied these claims. Now, the panel is also investigating other incidents that it learned about in the course of investigating the kissing allegation.
In a statement to CNN, Gomez said, “Years ago, I made personal mistakes outside my marriage that have caused real pain to my wife and family. 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.”
"I take full responsibility and have committed myself to working through the pain privately with my wife and family," and that "I am deeply sorry for the pain and embarrassment that I brought into our lives," he added.
Gomez is the latest in a long line of lawmakers in both parties who have faced allegations of misconduct with staffers.
Earlier this year, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was forced to resign after being found to have pressured sexual favors and an extramarital affair from a regional staffer who later died in a gruesome suicide. At the same time, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) was forced to quit Congress and end his campaign for governor amid damning new evidence that he sexually assaulted an intoxicated congressional aide and allegedly had inappropriate contact with at least three other women.