House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) revealed on Friday that the House Ethics Committee has a backlog of misconduct allegations under investigation, according to Axios.
The wave of misconduct claims has put additional pressure on lawmakers to make sure they can hold members accountable, but several leaders are arguing they need additional resources to keep up with the growing backlog.
“He has had a great challenge, the chairman of Ethics Committee, that committee is very busy right now,” Johnson, speaking of Chair Michael Guest (R-MS), told Axios.
Last month, Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Eric Swalwell resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing and suspended his campaign for California governor. Gonzales confirmed he had an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide, ending his re-election bid.
Two other lawmakers, Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) and Cory Mills (R-FL) were also under investigation by the committee over allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Both Republican congressional leaders have denied any wrongdoing.
Guest has told Axios that he wants to have conversations with Republican and Democratic leaders about how the committee needs more resources to “move matters more quickly,” including moving the Office of Congressional Conduct under the House Ethics.
“We’ll dedicate whatever resources are necessary to ensure the House Ethics Committee does its job as it should,” Johnson said. “There’s lots of allegations flying around, so we’ll make sure that they have everything they need to get the job done.”
Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Wednesday announced a bipartisan “partnership” to change how Congress tackles misconduct probes, Axios reported.
Reps. Kat Cammack (R-FL) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) were selected to lead that effort, which they hope to complete before midterms.
“We all are in agreement, Ethics moves too slow, and I would agree that Chairman Guest has the right idea that they are under-resourced, and that limits their ability to move quickly with these investigations,” Cammack told Axios.
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