Two members of the House of Representatives said Monday they will leave Congress this week over sexual-misconduct scandals, collapsing two separate expulsion fights within a few hours of each other.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and seven-term lawmaker, announced in a social media statement that he will resign his Bay Area seat as he faces allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from at least four women. Within hours, Rep. Tony Gonzales, a three-term Texas Republican, said he will file his retirement when the House returns Tuesday, weeks after admitting to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide.

Swalwell steps aside

Rumors began circulating online last week, and by Friday at least four women had spoken with the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN describing unwanted sexual advances and, in one account, rape. Swalwell has denied the allegations. He suspended his campaign for governor of California on Sunday and on Monday told supporters that staying would distract from his duties.

"Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress," Swalwell said.

The House Ethics Committee said Monday it was opening an investigation into whether Swalwell "may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision." His resignation effectively ends that inquiry. More than 50 former Swalwell staffers had called for him to step down, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California renounced their support over the weekend.

Swalwell did not specify an effective date. Once the seat is vacant, Gov. Gavin Newsom has 14 days to call a special election. Kamala Harris carried the district over President Trump by 35 points in 2024.

Gonzales follows

Gonzales admitted the affair in March and said at the time he would not seek reelection, but had not given up his seat. House Republican leaders had asked him to stand down, and the Ethics Committee had opened its own probe; chamber rules bar lawmakers from sexual relationships with employees under their supervision.

"There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all," Gonzales said in a social media post. "When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office."

The expulsion push

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, has led a bipartisan effort to force out both men, along with Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat indicted last year on charges of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds. Cherfilus-McCormick has denied those allegations. Luna framed the campaign in party-neutral terms, writing that it is "time Congress has a good house cleaning."

The dual departures short-circuit votes that would have tested the two-thirds threshold required to expel a sitting member, a bar the House has cleared only a handful of times. Whether Monday's resignations cool the broader expulsion drive is unclear — Luna's push against Cherfilus-McCormick remains active, and the Ethics Committee has not said whether it will continue any threads of the Swalwell inquiry absent a sitting member to sanction.