Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales officially resign amid misconduct claims

The California Democrat and the Texas Republican had both faced potential expulsion votes after they were accused of sexual misconduct with staff members.

WASHINGTON — Both Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned from Congress in disgrace Tuesday, pre-empting a push by their House colleagues to expel them from office.

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Both lawmakers were facing unrelated House Ethics investigations into alleged sexual misconduct, in some cases with women who had worked for them, a violation of House rules. Their resignations mean that those investigations effectively come to an end, since the Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members of Congress.

Investigations by law enforcement agencies can continue; and the Manhattan district attorney’s office has said it has launched a probe into Swalwell focused on an alleged assault that took place in New York.