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Washington — A cross-party effort caused two House members to resign on Tuesday under threat of expulsion — and the two female lawmakers who helped lead that push say additional members of Congress could face pressure next.
In an interview with CBS News, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández — a Republican and a Democrat, respectively — described how they coordinated to push Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales to step down this week rather than face votes to remove them from office over allegations of misconduct.
Multiple women in recent days have accused Swalwell of sexual assault or sending unsolicited explicit messages, which he has denied, and Gonzales has faced scrutiny over an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Swalwell also dropped out of the California gubernatorial race over the weekend, while Gonzales dropped his bid for reelection last month.
Luna and Leger Fernández said they worked in tandem to introduce separate expulsion efforts, building support across party lines and increasing pressure on both men to leave. Luna said there was already enough backing in the chamber to remove them if votes had taken place, telling CBS News that “we had two-thirds support for both people to be gone.”
Leger Fernández said the dual resignations on Tuesday were the result of members stepping in when House leadership did not immediately act.
“If it wouldn’t have been for those resolutions that we were each filing, they wouldn’t have resigned,” she said, adding that the situation only came to light because women involved “were willing to break the silence.”
The two said their coordination began informally, after Luna started publicly pushing for action and the two connected to align their efforts. Because House rules require separate members to bring expulsion resolutions, they agreed to support each other’s moves.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters late Tuesday that he did not have a hand in causing Swalwell and Gonzales to resign in rapid succession. He called the outcome appropriate, and said the allegations against Swalwell in particular were “alarming.”
Johnson has also argued in the past that it’s important for members who face misconduct allegations to receive due process, including investigations by the House Ethics Committee, which was looking into Gonzales and Swalwell. CBS News has reached out to Johnson for additional comment.
Luna and Leger Fernández indicated to CBS News that their efforts could extend to other members currently under scrutiny.
Luna said she would support expulsion if warranted in additional cases, including those involving Republican Rep. Cory Mills and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
“If you’re knowingly breaking the law, then you need to go,” she said, adding, “I think the threshold will be met.”
Mills is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over alleged campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct and other accusations. And Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged by federal prosecutors with improperly using millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds in connection with her campaign.
The Ethics Committee determined last month that most of the allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick were substantiated, though it has not yet issued a recommendation on punishment.
Leger Fernández pointed to the Ethics Committee findings in Cherfilus-McCormick’s case, saying, “We expect the committee report to come out just in a few days.” She emphasized that lawmakers must meet “a high level of integrity” to remain in office.
Mills and Cherfilus-McCormick have denied wrongdoing. Mills, speaking to reporters Tuesday, pushed back on the idea that he could face expulsion, arguing he is being unfairly grouped with other lawmakers and noting he is not facing criminal charges or allegations involving staff.
“There’s absolutely no criminal charges being filed against me… no inappropriate behavior or actions with a staffer or intern on the Hill,” he said.
Cherfilus-McCormick told CBS News in a statement that she does not plan to resign, and said it would set a “dangerous precedent” to expel members without formal findings against them. She also noted that the allegations against her “are not the same as those facing some of my colleagues.”
“Lumping them together, particularly with cases involving sexual assault and rape, is inaccurate and irresponsible,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
Both Luna and Leger Fernández framed this week’s resignations by Swalwell and Gonzales as part of a broader push to address misconduct within Congress, particularly when it involves power dynamics between members and staff.
“No means no,” Luna said. “You cannot sexually harass or assault people and not expect the law to come down on you.”
Leger Fernández said the goal was to make clear that such behavior will not be tolerated.
“We are going to hold men accountable,” she said, “and we will not let women continue to be silenced.”
They also raised concerns about the pace of the House Ethics Committee’s work, arguing that the process often takes too long to address serious allegations. Luna described the committee — made up of five Democrats and five Republicans — as “where things go to die,” while Leger Fernández said changes are needed to ensure cases are handled more quickly.
Republican Rep. Michael Guest, who chairs the ethics panel, told reporters Tuesday that “some investigations can be accomplished much quicker than others,” noting that probes like the one into Cherfilus-McCormick are difficult because they involve large numbers of documents and multiple attorneys. He said the committee’s members and their staff are “working diligently to move these cases through as quickly as possible.”
Expelling a member of the House requires a two-thirds vote, a threshold that has historically made it a rare outcome. Only six members of the lower chamber have been expelled in U.S. history, most recently Republican Rep. George Santos, who was charged with wire fraud, money laundering and campaign finance violations.
But Luna suggested the recent developments could lead to further action, saying the situation may trigger “a chain reaction.”
