Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday he supports a more extensive ban on lawmakers having sexual relationships with any congressional aides — not just subordinates in a personal office or on a committee.
Johnson replied “yeah,” when asked at a news conference whether he’s on board with remarks made over the weekend by House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan in support of establishing new rules barring members from having sex with any congressional staff.
It’s unclear what the path forward is for such a change, but it would require a revision to the House Code of Official Conduct — and an endorsement from two of the top lawmakers in the House is a promising sign there could be action.
The staff director for the House Ethics Committee did not respond to a request for comment.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the House in 2018 opted to formally ban members from having intimate relationships with their subordinates in personal offices or on the committees on which the lawmakers serve, with an exception for lawmakers who are married to staffers.
This latest push from McClain, and now the speaker, to expand the prohibition is partly a response to recent reporting on Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), outlining that Gallego had relationships with staffers who were not under his supervision.
There has also been a swell of misconduct allegations earlier this year, in which it was reported that former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) sexually assaulted a staffer and that former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) had a sexual relationship with a woman in his congressional office who later died by suicide. Both men were forced to resign amid the allegations.
Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
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