WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Eric Swalwell is not the only member of Congress drawing attention for his activities off the House floor — with sources telling The Post that Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a married member of Swalwell’s “Cool Kids Clique,” was spotted surreptitiously kissing a much younger congressional aide in the summer of 2023.
Swalwell (D-Calif.) fell in with Gomez, a fellow Golden State Democrat, and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) while all three were still in the House, sources said.
The trio became known for their socializing and drinking.
While Gallego, Swalwell’s closest friend in Congress, faced questions about what he knew after at least five women accused Swalwell of sexual assault and harassment, people involved in Democratic politics told The Post that the lower-profile Gomez warrants more scrutiny.
“This behavior of open philandering by married male members of Congress is pervasive and long overdue to be addressed,” one source told The Post.
“Regardless [of whether] it is a staff member of their own or another congressman, there is a massive power dynamic that fosters a culture of abuse. You have these married male congressmen openly cheating on their wives with female staffers — how is that not grounds for expulsion?”
The 2023 incident involved Gomez, now 51, making out with an aide to a different House Democrat outside a backyard party hosted by Swalwell to celebrate the start of the August congressional recess.
The aide, two decades younger than Gomez, “was sitting on the hood of the car and they were going at it,” according to a source who was smoking a cigarette in front of Swalwell’s home about a mile from the Capitol.
“They were down the street a little bit. But it wasn’t that discreet.”
A second source, who was waiting for an Uber, recalled that “someone pointed it out and it took me a second to recognize who it was.
“A few of us were getting out of the event and saw them, for lack of better words, making out … It was outside behind some cars.”
This source said he felt Gomez’s behavior was problematic because “he was married,” though congressional ethics rules generally do not bar consensual relationships between members of Congress and staff whom they do not supervise.
The congressional worker was not on Gomez’ staff.
A Gomez spokesperson said the accounts were “not true” and the makeout session “didn’t happen.”
The woman with whom the Los Angeles Democrat was allegedly involved declined to provide an on-record statement when contacted by The Post.
A third source briefed on Gomez kissing the woman said he heard the story from three or four other Democrats who claimed to see it with their own eyes.
This person said that “while hooking up isn’t a crime . . . these activities are a gateway drug.”
Gomez has distanced himself from Swalwell, resigning as co-chair of his California gubernatorial campaign soon after the initial sexual misconduct allegations were reported April 10. Gomez called the reports “shocking” and “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable.”
Swalwell, who repped an area just north of Silicon Valley, dropped out of the California governor’s race late Sunday and resigned from Congress on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old’s stunning downfall followed a San Francisco Chronicle report describing how an aide accused him of sexually assaulting her twice while she was allegedly too drunk to consent.
The same day, CNN reported four women accused Swalwell of misconduct, including sending them explicit messages or nude photos.
A lawyer for Swalwell said he denies “each and every” allegation.
Swalwell himself has denied criminal activity, but admitted unspecified “mistakes in judgment.”
Gallego, also part of the “Cool Kids Clique,” has not been accused of extramarital relations with staff or any legal wrongdoing.
The Swalwell coverage has created bipartisan momentum for a house-cleaning at the Capitol.
Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales also resigned Tuesday rather than face an expulsion vote for having an affair with a district-based staffer who later killed herself by setting herself on fire.
Another congressman, Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills, is facing an ethics investigation over an alleged affair with a 27-year-old political organizer who reported abuse by the lawmaker to DC police before retracting her claims.
