Pelosi and Bipartisan Allies Turn Expulsion Threats Into Immediate Swalwell and Gonzales Resignations; Boebert Pushes Pension Stripping as House Eyes Cherfilus-McCormick Vote
House leaders and rank-and-file pressure this week turned looming expulsion proceedings into immediate departures: Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both announced on Monday that they would resign amid sexual-misconduct allegations, and were officially gone by Tuesday, after a concerted campaign by colleagues from both parties urging they step down. The bids to force their exits came from across the aisle and from within leadership â including, according to a congressional source, a personal call from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging Swalwell to leave â and were driven in part by rapid political collapses (lost endorsements, departing staff and donors in Swalwell's case) that made continued service untenable. Their resignations averted what leaders had feared could be an unprecedented week of multiple expulsion votes: House discussions reportedly had also targeted Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Cory Mills, with Speaker Mike Johnson publicly forecasting a "consensus" to expel Cherfilus-McCormick after an Ethics Committee trial tied to her receipt of roughly $5 million in COVID relief funds.
The departures immediately tightened the already narrow House margins and created active vacancies that will shape short-term vote math and special-election timing. They also reignited debates over accountability and consequences: GOP firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert has publicly vowed to pursue legislation or procedural moves to strip Swalwell and Gonzales of lifetime, taxpayer-funded congressional pensions â which current federal law largely protects so long as members are not convicted of enumerated crimes. Under those rules, forfeiture generally requires a criminal conviction for certain offenses; estimates cited in coverage put potential retirements for the two at roughly $22,000 annually beginning at retirement age. The history of expulsions underscores how rare that tool is â just six members have been expelled in House history, most during the Civil War for disloyalty, with the most recent expulsion coming in 2023 â making resignation or criminal conviction the more typical routes to removing benefits or membership.
Reporting on the story shifted quickly from anticipating formal expulsion fights to documenting how rapid, bipartisan pressure produced immediate exits. Early coverage emphasized potential procedural showdowns and the novelty of multiple expulsion votes in one week; more recent accounts stress the speed and scope of the internal pressure campaign â including peer calls and political collapse â that produced same-week resignations, a dynamic highlighted by outlets showing how leadership and influential members moved to contain wider disruption. Social media amplified both these threads: some voices praised fast, cross-party condemnation and resignation as appropriate accountability, others criticized perceived partisan double standards, and some commentators echoed Boebert's call to deny pensions. Those reactions reflect continuing public focus on both personal misconduct and whether existing rules adequately strip benefits from members who leave under an ethics cloud.
đ Relevant Data
Only six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been expelled in its entire history, with the most recent being George Santos in 2023, and most expulsions occurring during the Civil War for disloyalty.
Three charts that show how rare congressional expulsions are â NBC News
Members of Congress do not automatically lose their pension benefits upon resignation, censure, or expulsion; forfeiture occurs only if convicted of specific crimes such as bribery, perjury, or fraud under laws like the HISS Act and STOCK Act, with no congressional felons having lost pensions in the 15 years since reform laws were enacted.
Fifteen Years after Reform Laws, No Congressional Felons Have Lost Their Taxpayer-Funded Pension â National Taxpayers Union
đ Key Facts
- Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales announced their resignations on the same Monday and were officially gone by Tuesday amid sexualâmisconduct allegations, reflecting how quickly leadership and peer pressure translated into exits.
- Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi personally called Swalwell after the allegations surfaced and, according to a source, told him she believed he should resign; Rep. Alexandria OcasioâCortez said both resignations were 'the right thing to do,' framing the departures as a matter of integrity.
- Swalwell's simultaneous gubernatorial campaign effectively collapsed within days â losing endorsements, staff and donor support â which intensified pressure for him to leave Congress.
- CBS and other outlets noted the resignations created active vacancies that could disrupt the House's narrow balance of power and shortâterm vote math, not just future turnover.
- House leaders had been weighing expulsions beyond Swalwell and Gonzales â including Rep. Sheila CherfilusâMcCormick and Rep. Cory Mills â a scenario that could have produced up to four expulsion votes in a single week.
- Speaker Mike Johnson forecasted a 'consensus' in favor of expelling CherfilusâMcCormick based on Ethics Committee findings; the committee held a rare 'trial' related to her receipt of $5 million in COVID relief funds.
- Reports said an Ethics sanctions recommendation for CherfilusâMcCormick was expected the following Tuesday, with bipartisan members indicating they would vote to expel and an expectation of 'more expulsions next week.'
- Rep. Lauren Boebert posted a video and told CNN she is pursuing efforts to strip Swalwell and Gonzales of their taxpayerâfunded congressional pensions and argued they should have faced expulsion or censure; under current federal law members generally keep pensions unless convicted of certain crimes, with each lawmaker estimated to receive about $22,000 annually starting at age 62, and Boebertâs office has been asked to detail the legislative or procedural mechanism she plans to use.
đ Analysis & Commentary (1)
"A conservative opâed arguing that Eric Swalwellâs resignation reflects Democratic leadershipâs long protection of him and a politically timed purgeâevidence, the author contends, of hypocrisy and selective accountability within the party."
đ° Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Rep. Lauren Boebert posted a video on X saying she is 'working on' efforts to ensure Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales lose their taxpayerâfunded congressional pensions.
- Boebert told CNN she believes Swalwell and Gonzales should not have been allowed to resign and instead should have faced expulsion or censure, coupled with loss of pension and other benefits.
- The article details that under current federal law, members of Congress keep their pensions even if censured or expelled, and only lose them upon conviction of certain crimes; it estimates Swalwell and Gonzales would each receive about $22,000 annually starting at age 62.
- Fox News reports that Boebertâs office has been asked for specifics on what legislative or procedural mechanism she plans to use to revoke the pensions.
- CBS segment explicitly frames the Swalwell and Gonzales resignations as potentially disrupting the balance of power in the House, emphasizing the narrow margins.
- Confirms again, with onâair attribution and timing, that both members announced on the same Monday that they would leave Congress amid sexualâmisconduct allegations.
- Highlights that these are active vacancies now shaping shortâterm House vote math, not just future departures.
- Reports that Nancy Pelosi, long a key Swalwell ally, personally called him after the allegations surfaced and, according to a source, told him she believed he should resign.
- Notes that Swalwellâs gubernatorial campaign effectively collapsed within daysâloss of endorsements, staff departures, and donor retreatâintensifying pressure to leave Congress.
- Adds OcasioâCortezâs quote framing both resignations as 'the right thing to do' and as a question of integrity in positions of 'profound privilege and profound responsibility.'
- Gives a more vivid sense of timing: both Swalwell and Gonzales announced their resignations Monday and were officially gone by Tuesday, showing how fast leadership and peer pressure translated into exits.
- Further emphasizes that there is an expectation of 'more expulsions next week' with specific timeline: Ethics sanctions recommendation for CherfilusâMcCormick on Tuesday and bipartisan members saying theyâll vote to expel.
- Explains that, beyond Swalwell and Gonzales, House leaders and members were weighing potential expulsions for Sheila CherfilusâMcCormick and Cory Mills, which could have produced four expulsion votes in a single week.
- Quotes Speaker Mike Johnson forecasting âconsensusâ in favor of expelling CherfilusâMcCormick based on Ethics Committee findings.
- Notes that the Ethics Committee held a rare âtrialâ of CherfilusâMcCormick related to her receipt of $5 million in COVID relief funds.