Swalwell and Gonzales Resign as House Confronts Wave of Potential Expulsions Including Cherfilus‑McCormick and Mills
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D‑Calif.) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R‑Texas) have formally submitted resignations from the U.S. House this week, each stepping down as the chamber moved to confront multiple potential expulsion efforts. Both departures came amid separate sexual‑misconduct allegations and active House Ethics Committee inquiries; Gonzales in particular publicly acknowledged an affair with a staffer who later died by self‑immolation and had been urged by GOP leaders to leave. Officials and members driving the disciplinary push — notably Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Teresa Leger Fernández, who filed parallel expulsion resolutions — framed the resignations as preempting what many in the House believed would likely have been successful expulsion votes, and House leaders said the Ethics probes are expected to be suspended once the members leave. Axios and other outlets confirmed the resignations were transmitted to House authorities and highlighted that the coordinated timing could change short‑term margins on the floor and trigger special elections.
The exits come against a backdrop that underscores both the rarity and seriousness of expulsion in the House: historically only six members have been expelled, and public Ethics hearings are uncommon, with most investigations handled privately. From 2010 to 2026 there were five confirmed House resignations tied to misconduct scandals, and congressional workplace disputes have in past decades led to sizable, often confidential settlements — roughly $17 million paid from taxpayer funds from 1997 to 2017 to resolve nearly 300 workplace claims — illustrating broader institutional exposure to misconduct claims even as outright expulsions remain exceptional. Reporters noted practical consequences of the moves as well: resignations can halt formal Ethics proceedings and shift the immediate political arithmetic, while leaving accountability debates to special‑election voters.
Coverage of Gonzales’s departure in particular showed a clear narrative shift. Early stories framed his announcement as a retirement to be filed when Congress returned, language used by several outlets and in his public statement; later reporting by Axios and The New York Times — followed by confirmations from PBS and others — made explicit that Gonzales and Swalwell timed their exits to get ahead of looming expulsion votes. That evolution in coverage was driven by reporting that pinned down the timing of filings and the link between the resignations and cross‑party pressure from members who said they would pursue expulsions; Luna publicly named other members she may target next, including Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick and Cory Mills, signaling that the House’s disciplinary push may continue.
Public reaction has been mixed and sharply partisan on social media and in party messaging. Some observers framed the two resignations as evidence of bipartisan accountability, while others accused opponents and the press of weaponizing allegations selectively. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has highlighted Republican ties to Gonzales in rebuttal to criticism over Swalwell contributions, and commentators noted that by resigning before a floor vote both members avoided the spectacle of formal expulsion, leaving the ultimate judgment to voters in upcoming contests.
📊 Relevant Data
From 1997 to 2017, the US Congress spent approximately $17 million in taxpayer funds to settle nearly 300 claims of workplace disputes, including sexual harassment, with settlements for members of Congress themselves being rare and often confidential.
These are the members of Congress who voted against disclosing sexual harassment claims — The Mountaineer
Between 2010 and 2026, there were 5 confirmed resignations of US House members due to misconduct scandals, with a partisan breakdown of 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
Legislator Misconduct Database — GovTrack.us
Public hearings by the House Ethics Committee, such as the one held for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in March 2026, are rare, with the committee typically conducting investigations privately and issuing reports without open proceedings.
House Ethics Panel Holds Rare Public Hearing on Democrat's Conduct — The New York Times
In the history of the US House of Representatives, only 6 members have been expelled, with 3 expulsions in 1861 for disloyalty, and the most recent prior to 2023 being in 2002 for corruption.
List of United States representatives expelled, censured, or reprimanded — Wikipedia
📌 Key Facts
- On April 13–14, 2026, Reps. Tony Gonzales (R‑TX) and Eric Swalwell (D‑CA) announced and then formally submitted resignations/retirements from the House while both were under active House Ethics investigations into alleged sexual misconduct.
- Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staffer, Regina Santos‑Aviles, who later died by self‑immolation; he initially denied the relationship, suspended his reelection campaign, said he would “file my retirement,” and then formally transmitted a resignation that took effect the night of April 14.
- Reporting identified additional allegations against Gonzales, including a second former female staffer who said he sent repeated sexually explicit messages and pressured her for nude photos during his 2020 campaign, and other unacknowledged accusations reported by local outlets.
- Both departures came as House Republican leaders and a bipartisan pair of members (Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Teresa Leger Fernández) advanced expulsion resolutions; multiple sources say Gonzales timed his exit to preempt an expected formal expulsion vote.
- Rep. Luna told CBS News she believed a two‑thirds House majority existed to expel Gonzales and indicated she may pursue expulsion proceedings against other members—specifically naming Rep. Cory Mills and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick as possible future subjects if standards are met.
- House Ethics Committee probes into members’ conduct are expected to be suspended once those members leave office; GOP leaders had publicly urged Gonzales not to seek reelection, and high‑profile endorsements in his race shifted to Brandon Herrera.
- Both parties have used the resignations in campaign messaging: the DCCC highlighted Republicans who accepted money from Gonzales as a counterpoint while Democrats confronted scrutiny over Swalwell‑linked donations.
- The near‑simultaneous resignations altered the immediate House partisan math—PBS reported the GOP would hold a larger margin (described as a two‑vote edge once Clay Fuller is sworn in)—changing short‑term dynamics in the chamber.
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Describes Gonzales initially denying an affair with an aide who later died by self‑immolation, then dropping his runoff bid and finally resigning from Congress rather than serving out his term.
- Frames Gonzales’ and Swalwell’s departures as two of four members who were, at least notionally, on an expulsion ‘chopping block’ this week.
- Places Gonzales’ exit in a narrative where House leaders expected to confront multiple expulsion votes in quick succession.
- Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Teresa Leger Fernández coordinated parallel expulsion resolutions aimed at Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell, increasing pressure on both to resign.
- Luna told CBS News she believed there was already a two‑thirds House majority to expel Gonzales had a vote occurred.
- Leger Fernández said she believes Gonzales would not have resigned without those expulsion resolutions and the cross‑party pressure behind them.
- Luna publicly linked her willingness to wield expulsion to future cases, naming Cory Mills and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick as potential subjects if standards are met.
- Speaker Mike Johnson said he did not engineer the back‑to‑back resignations but called their departures appropriate.
- Reiterates that Gonzales’s resignation takes effect tonight and directly links it to his earlier admission that he slept with a staffer who later died by suicide.
- Pairs Gonzales’s exit with Swalwell’s in a single ethics frame, emphasizing that two members are resigning almost simultaneously over sexual-misconduct‑related issues.
- Connects these resignations to the updated House partisan balance—Republicans gaining what PBS calls a ‘wildly large’ two‑vote margin in this Congress once Clay Fuller is sworn in.
- Axios confirms that Tony Gonzales has now formally transmitted his resignation to House officials.
- The report indicates his resignation filing coincides with Eric Swalwell’s, underscoring a coordinated timing that could alter the GOP’s seat margin in the short term.
- The article clarifies that what had been framed as a future retirement is now an actual, processed resignation rather than a mere announcement.
- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is using Republican acceptance of money from Rep. Tony Gonzales as a counter‑example when Republicans attack Democrats over Swalwell‑linked donations.
- Fox quotes DCCC messaging that highlights Republicans "who took money from Tony Gonzales" to argue that the GOP has its own unresolved contribution‑return issues tied to a member accused of serious misconduct.
- NPR’s brief notes that Rep. Tony Gonzales is also stepping down amid misconduct allegations but does not provide new timing, scope of the Ethics probe, or additional accusers beyond what is already reported.
- PBS/AP confirms Gonzales said on Monday that he will 'retire from Congress' and will 'file my retirement from office' when Congress returns the next day.
- The article notes his retirement announcement came just hours after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell likewise said he would resign amid separate sexual‑misconduct allegations, underscoring bipartisan parallel developments.
- The piece reiterates that House Republican leaders had already called on Gonzales not to seek reelection and that the House Ethics Committee had opened an investigation under rules barring sexual relationships with supervised employees.
- Axios report further confirms that Gonzales has told colleagues he will leave before a formal House expulsion vote can be held.
- The piece frames the timing explicitly as an effort to get out ahead of GOP leadership’s push for an expulsion vote, tightening the link between his departure date and the disciplinary calendar.
- Axios characterizes his statement as a clear plan to quit early, not just a vague intention to step aside after the current term.
- Gonzales publicly states on April 13, 2026 that he will 'file my retirement from office' when Congress returns the next day, explicitly labeling his departure a retirement.
- MS NOW reports that a second former female staffer accused Gonzales of sending repeated sexually explicit messages and pressuring her for nude photos during his 2020 campaign, expanding the known scope of allegations beyond the previously reported affair.
- The piece notes the temporal linkage that Gonzales and Eric Swalwell announced plans to step down within hours of each other and that both are simultaneously under House Ethics investigation and facing an 'extremely rare' expulsion push.
- Fox reports Gonzales “abruptly announced his decision to resign” Monday evening and says he will “file my retirement” when Congress returns the next day, sharpening timing around the move.
- Article states Gonzales admitted earlier this year to sexual misconduct with staffer Regina Santos‑Aviles, who later died by self‑immolation, and notes House rules prohibit lawmakers from engaging in sexual relationships with staffers.
- Fox highlights that Gonzales is also facing a second, unacknowledged accusation of sexual misconduct from a former aide reported by the San Antonio Express‑News.
- The piece notes Gonzales suspended his reelection campaign in March after GOP leaders called on him to exit, and that Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson shifted endorsements to Brandon Herrera in the GOP runoff.
- Article pairs Gonzales’s announcement with Eric Swalwell’s same‑day resignation announcement, quoting Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s letter saying the actions of both members “reflect poorly on every single one of us” and urging public condemnation.
- It reiterates that both Gonzales and Swalwell are under active House Ethics Committee investigation and that those probes are expected to be suspended once they officially leave office.
- Tony Gonzales has now explicitly stated he will resign his House seat, not merely forgo reelection or "retire" at the end of the term.
- The New York Times piece pins the timing and public form of the announcement (date, how he communicated it) and clarifies that the resignation is directly tied to the looming expulsion vote.
- Additional detail on how House leaders were positioning the expulsion process and how his resignation decision intersects with that timeline (e.g., whether he aims to leave before a formal vote).