It’s a Left/Right Tit for Tat as Swalwell and Gonzales Face Expulsion Votes
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) plans to force a vote to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) next week over sexual assault and misconduct allegations. Swalwell has continued to deny the allegations.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are set to respond by moving in turn to expel Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who’s being investigated by House Ethics over sexual misconduct allegations.
Swalwell has faced calls from Democratic Party leaders and House colleagues to drop his bid for California governor, though few have called for his outright resignation or expulsion from Congress. Swalwell said in a video posted to social media, “These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen, they never happened.”
Gonzales, who has dropped his bid for reelection, admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, calling it a “lapse in judgment.”
The story of Swalwell’s alleged impropriety was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, saying a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, including a first instance in 2019. Shortly after the Chronicle story published, CNN ran a detailed report with four women accusing Swalwell of various acts of sexual misconduct.
In his denial video, Swalwell apologized to his wife for unspecified mistakes. Swalwell is shedding endorsements fast, with even Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), one of his campaign chairs, rescinding his support.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have called for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial campaign.
Swalwell’s page on the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue was also pulled down on Friday.
According to reporting by Axios, Dems say that successful expulsion votes for Swalwell and Gonzales could trigger a chain reaction that could involve members forcing expulsion votes against Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.).
But these votes require a two-thirds majority to pass, and lawmakers have tended to stop short of expelling members in the absence of a criminal conviction or a completed House Ethics Committee process.
Left/Right Tit for Tat? Really? Are you that jaded to make light of serious issues?
Neither of these are mere “affairs” as you call them. Actual women accuse them of actual harm.
These are two, independent cases and the accounts are a little more than an “affair.” The accused are not chips in some political game to see who can rack up the highest score.
Gonzales is gone; Swalwell ended his CA governor run; they see how serious it is. Perhaps you should.