Swalwell, Gonzales Resignations Could Point to Pattern of Misconduct In Congress |
Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.
Democratic Congressmember Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas resigned Tuesday. Both of them faced potential expulsion votes after they were accused of sexual misconduct involving former staffers.
Swalwell’s resignation came just days after CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle reported multiple allegations against him, including twice raping a former staffer. Swalwell denied the allegations. He dropped out of the California gubernatorial race on Sunday. Gonzales had been facing calls to resign since February, when the San Antonio Express-News revealed he had an affair with a staffer who later took her own life, and also sent explicit text messages to another staffer.
“Congress itself shouldn’t see these resignations as the end of the story here,” says Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women’s Law Center. “They actually should see it as the beginning of investigating not only what happened with these two individuals, but they need to understand whether or not they have a problem that is more of a pattern.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
It’s Not Just Huerta. For Many Survivors, Silence Seems Like the Only Option.
A warning to our viewers and listeners: This story contains references to rape and sexual abuse.
We turn now to Capitol Hill, where Democratic Congressmember Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas both resigned Congress on Tuesday. Each had faced potential expulsion votes after being accused of sexual misconduct involving former staffers.
On Tuesday, New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said this moment should mark a, quote, “important resetting point” in Congress, saying, “Abuse of power should never be accepted, and above all, in public office,” unquote.
Congressmember Swalwell’s resignation came just days after CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle reported multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him. In one case, a former staffer said Swalwell raped her twice, leaving her bruised and bleeding. She told CNN the misconduct began when she was a 21-year-old staffer.
FORMER STAFFER: It was in 2019. I was, again, driving him to an event. This was my job. PAMELA BROWN: And you were 21 years old. FORMER STAFFER: And I was 21 years old. We see some sort of parking lot, and he says to pull over. He pulls out his penis and instructs me to give him oral sex. And I started to. Again, I felt incredibly uncomfortable, and I stopped. And I said to him, “This feels really uncomfortable, and anyone could see us right now.” And he said to me, “You’re right. It’s probably not good for a congressman to be caught with his pants down.”
FORMER STAFFER: It was in 2019. I was, again, driving him to an event. This was my job.
PAMELA BROWN: And you were 21 years old.
FORMER STAFFER: And I was 21 years........