An unidentified woman has accused Rep. Jimmy Gomez of sexual assault, according to a statement released by her lawyers who are representing a witness interviewed by the House Ethics Committee. The attorneys, Lisa Banks and Sarah Nesbitt, directly challenged Gomez's assertion that the committee's investigation into his conduct involved only "consensual" extramarital relations.
"Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client," Banks and Nesbitt stated. "We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation."
The lawyers further commented on the broader issue of misconduct within Congress, stating, "This is just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress. Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job."
The House Ethics Committee initiated its investigation into Gomez after a report in April detailed him being seen kissing a younger aide to a different lawmaker in the summer of 2023. Gomez, who is married and a founder of the Dads Caucus, publicly acknowledged having an affair in June. At the time, he described the extramarital relations as "consensual" in a statement to CNN, also admitting to "personal mistakes outside my marriage that have caused real pain to my wife and family."
He reiterated a similar statement on Monday when the committee publicly confirmed its investigation for the first time. The current accusations from the Ethics Committee witness directly dispute Gomez's characterization of the interactions as consensual.