Politics
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U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District among the rising number of House members calling for at least two colleagues to resign or face expulsion over allegations of sexual misconduct.
The Democrat told the Bangor Daily News on Monday that Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-California, and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, should resign immediately or be expelled from Congress, with both facing “credible accusations” of sexual assault or harassment.
“Serving in Congress is a privilege that comes with tremendous responsibility,” she said. “These men exploited that privilege to abuse the people who trusted and worked for them.”
Pingree’s comments come after Swalwell withdrew from the California governor’s race Sunday after reports of sexual misconduct against four women, including a former staffer, and after Gonzales admitted to an affair with an aide who later died by suicide.
Swalwell has denied the assault accusations and Gonzales, who dropped out of his re-election bid, has refused to step down.
Two other House members from Florida — Republican Rep. Cory Mills and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — have also faced heightened calls to leave or be expelled from office, something that has only happened six times in the House’s history.
The House Ethics Committee found Cherfilus-McCormick in violation of several ethics charges on accusations she misappropriated pandemic relief funds, while Mills has been under investigation over alleged sexual misconduct or dating violence, and misuse of campaign funds and congressional resources.
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, an outgoing Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, said Monday that he’s open to considering expulsion motions for all four of the House members in hot water with the Ethics Committee or prosecutors.
“Given the severity of the allegations against these four lawmakers, I’d hear out the case if there’s a motion that’s rooted in a bipartisan commitment to ethics, rather than just one party trying to get the edge over the other,” he said in a statement.
Jordan Wood, who is running to replace the outgoing Golden, scrubbed Swalwell’s endorsement from his campaign website and called on the congressman to resign or face removal. State Auditor Matt Dunlap, another Democrat running for the 2nd Congressional District, also pressed Swalwell to leave office and said he’d vote for expulsion.
Pingree’s statement did not address Cherfilus-McCormick or Mills. But she said the women who came forward against Swalwell and Gonzales were courageous.
“How Congress responds now will determine whether every person who works in this institution feels safe reporting misconduct without fear of retaliation,” she said. “Perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable. No title, no office, and no political affiliation changes that.”
