Washington — A woman told the House Ethics Committee that Rep. Jimmy Gomez sexually assaulted her, according to her attorneys, a claim that comes as the panel investigates sexual misconduct allegations against the California Democrat.
The bipartisan committee said Monday that it’s looking into allegations against Gomez, including that he engaged “in inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.”
Gomez acknowledged in a statement Monday that he “made personal mistakes outside my marriage” and that his “actions were consensual in nature.”
The attorneys for the unnamed woman pushed back on the assertion that Gomez’s actions were consensual.
“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. 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,” said her attorneys, Lisa J. Banks and Sarah E. Nesbitt.
CBS News has reached out to Gomez’s office for comment on the allegations. Banks and Nesbitt did not identify their client, and CBS News has not verified her claims.
In his statement earlier this week, Gomez said he was “ready to cooperate with the Ethics Committee inquiry and provide it with whatever information it might need.”
“Out of respect for my family and the ongoing process, I will have no further comment,” he added.
House Democratic leaders called the allegations “serious and disturbing.”
“We encourage the Committee to conduct a thorough and swift investigation,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a statement Wednesday.
The leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus also urged the Ethics Committee to move quickly and release the status of its investigation before the 60-day blackout period ahead of Election Day. The group said the allegations, if substantiated, must be met with “clear and meaningful consequences.”
In announcing the probe on Monday, the Ethics Committee said that “[n]o other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules.”
The investigation comes as the House is poised to consider legislation to overhaul the chamber’s ethics rules. The proposal would, among other things, ban lawmakers from having sexual relationships with any congressional staffers, not just those under their direct supervision.
