Attorneys for an unnamed woman told the House Committee on Ethics that Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) sexually harassed and assaulted her, disputing the California Democrat’s claim that his conduct was “consensual in nature.”
The statement, released Wednesday by attorneys Lisa J. Banks and Sarah E. Nesbitt, escalates a probe the committee announced Monday into whether Gomez engaged in “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.”
The attorneys said their client sat for an interview with the panel and directly contradicted the congressman’s account of his own behavior.
“We represent one of the women who was interviewed by the House Committee on Ethics about her experience of sexual harassment and assault by Representative Jimmy Gomez,” Banks and Nesbitt wrote. “Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client. We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation.”
Gomez acknowledged Monday that he had made “personal mistakes outside my marriage” but insisted his conduct broke no law or House rule.
“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,” the five-term congressman said, adding that he had sought professional help and would cooperate with the committee.
It was not clear from that statement whether Gomez was referring to the same woman represented by Banks and Nesbitt, who practice at the firm Katz Banks Kumin LLP.
The attorneys argued the case reflected a broader pattern on Capitol Hill.
“This is just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress,” they wrote. “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 committee said Monday that the existence of a review “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
The investigation follows a string of congressional misconduct cases in 2026. Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX) both resigned in April after allegations surfaced, and Gomez served as a co-chair of Swalwell’s short-lived campaign for California governor. The panel opened its Swalwell probe under the same rule it is now citing against Gomez.
