Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After calls for accountability led by Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Reps. Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell announced their resignations from Congress today amid serious allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Leger Fernández was among the first Members to publicly call for resignation and, if they refused, for expulsion. She announced her resolution to force a vote on Gonzales’ expulsion, which would have been filed tomorrow. 

Leger Fernández was working alongside Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, who was filing a resolution to expel Swalwell. This was a bipartisan effort to hold both men accountable.

To avoid the expulsion votes, Gonzales and Swalwell each announced their resignation—or in the case of Gonzales, “retirement." 

Gonzales has failed to state when his “retirement” would begin. This evening, Rep. Leger Fernandez reasserted she's not backing down. She intends to file her resolution to expel Gonzales tomorrow unless his resignation from Congress is made effective immediately.

“Men in power too often count on silence. They count on fear. They fail to recognize the power of women when they break that silence and stand with each other to demand consequences.

From the moment these deeply disturbing allegations came to light, I made clear that anyone who abuses the power of their office to prey on staff is not fit to serve in Congress. Staff come to this institution to serve the American people, not to be exploited, manipulated, or abused by the very people who hold power over their livelihoods.

There is no such thing as consent when the imbalance of power is this profound. A Member of Congress controls a staffer’s employment, salary, benefits, future opportunities, and their day-to-day working conditions. That power can never be separated from the harm inflicted in these sexual abuse cases.

I believe these survivors and their voices cannot be ignored. Today’s resignations are the direct result of survivors’ courage and the refusal to allow powerful men to escape accountability. They are a direct result of the Resolutions Rep. Luna and I were filing tomorrow. Congress must be a place of public service, dignity, and respect, not abuse.

But the work does not end here.

Our responsibility is larger than any one resignation. We must protect staff, strengthen accountability, and make clear that no one in a position of power is above consequences.

This is not the end," said Leger Fernandez.

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