WASHINGTON — An unidentified woman has accused Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) of sexual assault as part of a House Ethics Committee investigation that was sparked by a Post exposé, according to a statement released by her lawyers Wednesday.
Democrats on Capitol Hill believe Gomez, 51, may resign in the wake of the disclosure — following his close friend Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who stepped down in April after multiple women alleged sexual harassment or assault.
Attorneys Lisa Banks and Sarah Nesbitt slammed Gomez for publicly claiming that the committee is only investigating “consensual” sexual relations by the married Dads Caucus founder.
“We represent one of the women who was interviewed by the House Committee on Ethics about her experience of sexual harassment and assault by Representative Jimmy Gomez,” Banks and Nesbitt said.
“Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client. We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation.”
The lawyers added: “This is just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress. Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job.”
The Ethics Committee started to investigate Gomez after The Post reported in April that he was seen kissing a much younger aide to a different lawmaker in the summer of 2023 outside a backyard party hosted by Swalwell.
Gomez initially denied it, but copped to having an affair in June, admitting to “personal mistakes outside my marriage that have caused real pain to my wife and family” in a statement to CNN that characterized the extramarital relations as “consensual.”
The lawmaker issued a similar statement Monday after the committee publicly confirmed its investigation for the first time.
Gomez’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Gomez, Swalwell and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), the last of whom served in the House for a decade, formed a tight-knit crew — collectively known as the “Cool Kids Clique” — that developed a reputation for heavy drinking and womanizing.
Gallego has privately admitted to sleeping with House aides who worked for at least two different lawmakers, The Post reported last month. He did not deny the account, calling the story “gossip.”
The revelations about Gomez and Gallego have spurred a bipartisan push in Congress to further restrict sexual relationships between elected representatives and staffers. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has endorsed the proposal.
The House in 2018 barred members from having sexual relationships with their own staff and those on committees they supervise.
The Senate did not adopt the rule and the House restriction does not apply to liaisons with aides of other members — though unwanted advances, harassment and assault are prohibited.
