Lawyers for a woman interviewed as part of the House Ethics Committee probe into Rep. Jimmy Gomez alleged the California Democrat’s interactions with their client were not consensual — rebutting claims by Gomez that his “personal mistakes outside” his marriage were “consensual in nature.”
“Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client,” Lisa Banks and Sarah Nesbitt, attorneys for the woman who spoke with the Ethics Committee “about her experience of sexual harassment and assault by Representative Jimmy Gomez,” said in a statement Wednesday.
They added, “We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation.”
Gomez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Banks’ claims.
The disclosure that Banks and Nesbitt’s client was interviewed by the Ethics panel regarding alleged “sexual harassment and assault” provides more granular details on what the bipartisan committee, which operates in secret, is actually investigating.
The committee announced Monday that it was looking into whether Gomez engaged in “sexual misconduct,” including “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.” Gomez released his own statement conceding that while he did cheat on his wife in years past, his extramarital affairs were “consensual” and “haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules.”
He also said he respects the process of the Ethics Committee and was “confident that a full and impartial review of the facts will bear” out that he did not violate House rules or the law.
Currently, members of Congress are permitted to have consensual intimate relationships with any staffer as long as they are not the members’ subordinate. A bipartisan effort is underway to change the rules to prohibit lawmakers from engaging in such activities with employees of any congressional office.
That initiative is being spearheaded by Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), who hope to unveil ethics overhaul legislation in September. They are also working to make sure the Ethics Committee works faster to investigate allegations of misconduct, make reports public and recommend punishments that are proportional to the offense.
There’s a strong appetite on Capitol Hill to root out and crack down on members engaged in sexual misconduct after two lawmakers — then-Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) — were forced to resign within a week of each other amid accusations of serious misconduct toward staffers. Swalwell has denied an allegation of assault and allegations of sexual misconduct, while Gonzales admitted to an affair with his subordinate who died by suicide.
Gomez was a co-chair of Swalwell’s campaign for governor and quickly called for his former colleague to withdraw from the Democratic primary.
A third member, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) was pressured to drop his bid for reelection earlier this month after the Ethics Committee released a report with findings that the lawmaker engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” Lawyers for Edwards said that the Ethics Committee “failed to demonstrate that either of the two staffers expressed discomfort to Representative Edwards regarding his conduct with them.”
Banks and Nesbitt, the attorneys for the woman who made claims against Gomez, in their statement Wednesday, said the Gomez case was “just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress. Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job.”
“We will continue to work with our client and with the House Committee on Ethics to ensure there is accountability for Representative Gomez and a safe path for any other survivors to come forward and share their experiences,” they said.
Tom Rust, the staff director for the House Ethics Committee, declined to comment Wednesday.
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