Washington — Two House members from opposite parties resigned Tuesday after a coordinated bipartisan effort made clear they faced a credible threat of expulsion. Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell stepped down as lawmakers who organized the effort said similar pressure could be applied to others.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández told reporters they each filed separate expulsion resolutions and worked together to generate cross-party support, with the aim of prompting Gonzales and Swalwell to leave rather than face floor votes. Swalwell has been accused by several women of sexual assault or sending unsolicited explicit messages; he denies those allegations and has suspended his California gubernatorial campaign. Gonzales faced scrutiny over an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide; he announced he would not seek reelection last month.
Luna said she believed there was enough backing in the House to remove both members if votes had been held. Leger Fernández said members acted because House leadership did not move quickly enough and because victims were willing to speak up.
Because House rules require individual members to introduce expulsion measures, Luna and Leger Fernández filed separate resolutions and coordinated strategy to build bipartisan momentum. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he did not force the resignations and called the outcome appropriate, describing the allegations against Swalwell as alarming. He has also emphasized that members accused of misconduct are entitled to due process, including review by the House Ethics Committee. That committee has been investigating both Gonzales and Swalwell.
Both Luna and Leger Fernández said they could pursue expulsion actions in other cases. Luna named Republican Rep. Cory Mills and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick as potential subjects if investigations show misconduct. Mills is under House Ethics Committee investigation over alleged campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct and other claims; he denies wrongdoing and says he is not facing criminal charges. Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged by federal prosecutors in a case alleging misuse of pandemic relief funds tied to her campaign; the Ethics Committee has found that many allegations against her were substantiated, though it has not proposed a specific punishment. She has said she will not resign and warned against creating a precedent of expelling members without formal findings.
The two sponsors framed this week’s resignations as part of a broader effort to address misconduct and abuses of power involving staff. Both criticized the perceived slow pace of the House Ethics Committee, saying investigations can take too long; the committee chair, Rep. Michael Guest, said cases vary in complexity and staff are working to move matters forward as quickly as possible.
Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the House, a high bar that has made such actions rare. Only six members have ever been expelled in U.S. history, with the most recent being Rep. George Santos. Luna suggested the recent resignations could set off a chain reaction if members facing serious allegations are pursued similarly.