Congress is going through its biggest reckoning over sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement rocked Capitol Hill in 2017 and 2018.
Why it matters: Nearly a decade after lawmakers instituted reforms around sexual harassment, new allegations are exposing what members and staffers say remains an open secret: a culture of bad behavior on the Hill.
- "It's complete bullsh*t," one House Republican told Axios. "Like you have all these guys sleeping with their employees, and nothing happens, and everybody knows what's going on."
Driving the news: The renewed scrutiny intensified after two lawmakers — Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) — resigned last month amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell also faces allegations of sexual assault.
- Swalwell has denied the allegations.
- Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
- The Ethics panel lost jurisdiction over the matters when each of the lawmakers stepped down. Both were staring down imminent expulsion votes.
Separately, Axios reported this week that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) had singled out two young female staffers for special attention that sources described as inappropriate, drawing additional attention to lawmakers' conduct.
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told Politico that "ANY member of Congress engaging in an inappropriate relationship with staff needs to go."
- Another House Republican told Axios they believe Edwards should either resign or be expelled.
- Edwards called the allegations "horsesh*t" in an interview with The Assembly, a North Carolina-based publication, though he did not directly address the specific allegations reported by Axios.
The big picture: Sexual abuse and accountability have been in the spotlight this Congress amid the broader fight over releasing the government's files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- That effort only succeeded after a bloc of Republican women joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in forcing the release despite opposition from President Trump.
Between the lines: The loudest demands for accountability are coming from Republican women lawmakers, who are increasingly willing to publicly torch colleagues they believe leadership has protected for too long.
- Luna, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have emerged as some of Congress' most aggressive voices pushing to expose misconduct allegations and force consequences for accused lawmakers.
- Mace has led multiple efforts this year to punish or expel Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) over allegations that include financial misdeeds, campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct, all of which Mills denies.
- On Monday, Mace also released records that she said showed more than $338,000 in taxpayer money was paid over 10 years to settle sexual misconduct cases involving eight former members.
Behind the scenes: Frustration is also growing with the House Ethics Committee, which members in both parties complain moves too slowly to police misconduct allegations effectively.
- The panel's investigations can take months, sometimes years, to issue formal reports or disciplinary recommendations.
- Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told Axios last month the panel needs more resources to "move matters through more quickly."
- The committee released a rare public statement last month saying it has investigated 20 matters involving alleged sexual misconduct by members of Congress since 2017. The panel only named 15 of those members.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said three weeks ago that he would lead the charge himself to overhaul reforms to how sexual harassment cases are handled in Congress, telling reporters that the issue is especially important to him because two of his daughters work on Capitol Hill.
- "We are looking at every potential avenue to tighten up the rules and make sure that women have an avenue to report," Johnson said. "So if there are ways to tighten the rules, or suggestions, we're seeking that from all members, we're open to that … And I will lead that myself."
- But no speaker-led initiatives have been formalized.
The bottom line: "I think it's gonna take women burning down the house," the House Republican said.
