The House Ethics Committee released a list on Monday of all its “publicly disclosed investigative matters involving alleged sexual misconduct by members.”
The list revealed that the committee has initiated 28 investigations into alleged sexual misconduct by Congress members since 1976.
🚨TAKE A LOOK🚨
The House Ethics Committee on Monday released a list of all its publicly disclosed sexual misconduct investigations into members, dating back to 1976. pic.twitter.com/mgROg7XVAP
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) April 20, 2026
Full list below:
More from the New York Post:
In total, fourteen were Democrats and 12 were Republicans. The late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) was twice investigated for pursuing a “sexual relationship with a staffer in 2014 and again in 2020.
Hastings died in 2021, and was succeeded by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who was recently faulted for 25 ethics violations amid a probe of her purportedly pilfering $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
ADVERTISEMENTA sex misconduct investigation from 1982 to 1983 involving House pages also concluded with the censuring of Reps. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.) and Dan Crane (R-Ill.), though neither were expelled.
Others like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who was probed for “[s]exual misconduct with minor” and “solicitation of prostitution,” resigned before findings were publicly released.
The Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over the Swalwell or Gonzales investigations after both left the House, though Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) remains under a probe for “[s]exual misconduct and/or dating violence.”
The committee released a rare statement encouraging anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a Congress member or staffer to contact them.
“There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination in the halls of Congress, or in any employment setting,” the committee said, according to ABC News.
“The greatest hurdle the Committee faces in evaluating allegations of sexual misconduct is in convincing the most vulnerable witnesses to share their stories,” the statement continued.
“Accordingly, the Committee’s practice has been to release only the information that is necessary to hold Members accountable for misconduct and address public reporting that impacts the integrity of the House,” it added.
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee has released a rare statement encouraging anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer to contact them, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights or the Office of Employee Advocacy. https://t.co/XwLBO6wyDH
— ABC News (@ABC) April 20, 2026
ABC News shared further:
The statement comes after allegations of sexual misconduct led to the resignations of California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales last week.
Gonzales and Swalwell were about to face efforts by their colleagues to have them expelled from the House. The House Ethics Committee had announced investigations into both men, which ended when they resigned.
ADVERTISEMENTGonzales dropped his reelection bid earlier this year after admitting to a relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide. Gonzales said he “made a mistake” and “had a lapse in judgement.”
Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor of California amid the accusations against him, including allegations of sexual assault, which he’s denied. Swalwell’s attorney, Sara Azari, last week said the allegations are “false.”
The committee said that since 2017, it has initiated investigations in 20 matters involving sexual misconduct by a lawmaker.
