The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over sexual misconduct allegations, including “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.” 

The California Democrat has been facing public allegations of misconduct for months, with the New York Post reporting in April that he was spotted in 2023 kissing a staffer who worked for another member of Congress. 

The committee, in its announcement, said the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred” and did not provide any details about the claims.

In an extended statement to CQ Roll Call, Gomez said he has not violated House Ethics rules but did not deny allegations of an extramarital affair. He is married with one child and chairs the Congressional Dads Caucus.

The Ethics panel will specifically investigate whether Gomez broke a section of the chamber’s Code of Official Conduct that says a member “may not engage in unwelcome sexual advances or conduct” toward another employee of the House.

Gomez said he stands “ready to cooperate with the Ethics Committee inquiry and provide it with whatever information it might need.”

“As I said when the existence of an inquiry was first reported two months ago in the media, years ago, I made personal mistakes outside my marriage,” Gomez said in the statement. “Although my actions were consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules, that doesn’t diminish the impact that these mistakes have made on those I care about the most.”

He said he takes “full responsibility” and is working through it privately with his family. “I am deeply sorry to my wife for the pain and embarrassment that I have brought into our lives,” he added. 

The investigation comes on the heels of House Ethics probes into other members over sexual misconduct allegations, including Texas Republican Tony Gonzales and California Democrat Eric Swalwell earlier this year. Both members resigned in April, and the episodes sparked calls for ethics overhauls and increased scrutiny of lawmakers. That fervor, though, seems to have petered out this summer amid reported wrongdoing by other lawmakers. 

Earlier this month, the Ethics Committee recommended Rep. Chuck Edwards be censured for engaging in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two female staffers. The North Carolina Republican, who said he disagreed with the panel’s findings, later dropped his reelection bid. 

The committee is also investigating Ohio Rep. Max Miller over claims of domestic violence and abuse and illegal drug use. The Republican lawmaker said on social media that he had requested the inquiry and had “absolutely nothing to hide.”  

First elected to Congress in 2017, Gomez represents the safely blue 34th District in the Los Angeles area. He faces a potentially tough reelection this fall against progressive challenger Angela Gonzales-Torres, a fellow Democrat. Both advanced to the general election after finishing in the top two in California’s all-party June primary.