Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) is the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation after an accuser's lawyers said their client's interaction with the congressman was not consensual. Gomez has admitted to a relationship outside his marriage but maintains it was consensual and did not violate rules. The committee is assessing whether Gomez breached rules banning sexual relationships with staffers who report to members, amid broader scrutiny of misconduct in Congress.
Accuser Says Rep. Jimmy Gomez Sexually Assaulted Her — House Ethics Committee Opens Investigation
The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Rep. Jimmy Gomez engaged in sexual misconduct with a House staffer.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) is under investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee after lawyers for an accuser told the panel that their client's encounter with the congressman was not consensual. Gomez previously acknowledged and apologized for a relationship outside his marriage, calling it "consensual."
The Ethics Committee announced it had opened a formal inquiry to determine whether the five-term Los Angeles-area representative "may have engaged in sexual misconduct." Investigators are focused on whether Gomez violated House rules that bar members from having sexual relationships with staffers who report directly to them.
In a statement provided to multiple outlets, Gomez said he had made "personal mistakes outside my marriage" but insisted his conduct was "consensual in nature and hasn't violated the law or House Ethics rules." On Wednesday, however, attorneys Lisa J. Banks and Sarah E. Nesbitt, representing a person interviewed by the committee, contradicted that characterization.
Banks and Nesbitt: "His actions were not 'consensual in nature' with respect to our client. This is 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."
It remains unclear whether the accuser represented by Banks and Nesbitt is the same individual Gomez referenced in his statement. The committee's review follows reporting earlier this year: CNN first reported the Ethics Committee inquiry in June, and the New York Post later published uncorroborated accounts that multiple witnesses saw Gomez kissing a former aide to Rep. Eric Swalwell outside a party three years ago.
Context and Political Fallout
The inquiry into Gomez comes amid heightened scrutiny of sexual misconduct allegations in Congress in 2026. Two members, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), resigned in April after accusations surfaced. Other ethics controversies have affected races this year: Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) suspended his reelection campaign after an Ethics Committee censure recommendation, and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) lost a primary following months of allegations and a separate Ethics Committee review.
Current House rules prohibit sexual relationships between members and staffers who report to them, but do not ban consensual relationships with staff employed by other members. Several lawmakers have proposed tightening those rules: Representatives Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) are reported to be drafting legislation that would explicitly bar relationships between members and all House staff and overhaul how misconduct claims are handled.
The Ethics Committee typically conducts a confidential review to determine whether formal charges or sanctions are warranted. The committee has not released details about its timetable or specific allegations in the Gomez matter.
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