House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that he will lead the cause to clamp down on sexual misconduct in Congress, after the resignations of two lawmakers accused of such allegations.
“We are looking at every potential avenue to tighten up the rules and make sure that women have an avenue to report,” the Louisiana Republican said at a press conference.
Reports of sexual misconduct have been at the forefront of Congress recently, including Reps. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, resigning last week over misconduct allegations. In turn, Mr. Johnson said he is keen to improve safety mechanisms for victims of sexual misconduct.
He said that he is seeking suggestions from all lawmakers on ways to “tighten the rules.”
“I will lead that myself,” said Mr. Johnson, who has two daughters who work as committee staff.
Doing so is “very serious to me. I’m a father,” he added.
The pair of sexual misconduct scandals has rattled confidence in the House Ethics Committee, the bipartisan panel charged with enforcing the chamber’s code of conduct. The committee had opened separate investigations into Mr. Swalwell and Mr. Gonzales, but upon their resignations, the inquiries were abandoned.
Both of the lawmakers’ reports of the inappropriate behavior broke in the press rather than being disclosed through reporting mechanisms.
Mr. Johnson said that he still has faith in the committee, calling its work “essential.”
“There’s always been untoward activity among political figures, going back to time immemorial,” he said. “And when allegations are made against members of Congress, they take it very seriously. There’s a number of deliberate steps that are taken where due process is provided.”
“We’re doing the best we can under difficult circumstances,” Mr. Johnson said.
A Monday release by the committee detailed 20 sexual misconduct investigations by lawmakers since 2017, as well as a list of members it has investigated over such accusations.
“Some sexual misconduct matters that the Committee may have otherwise reviewed were removed from the Committee’s jurisdiction by the subject’s resignation, retirement, or departure from House employment,” the committee said in its announcement. “Moreover, unfortunately, there likely exist matters never reported to the Committee. As the Committee has repeatedly asserted to the House community, through investigative matters and other actions, it treats allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness.”
Over the last two decades, 30 members of Congress have faced public accusations of workplace sexual harassment, according to a Tuesday report from the National Women’s Defense League, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing sexual misconduct.
Congressional staffers are the most frequent targets, totaling 77% of sexual harassment complaints.
