Congress reaches the breaking point on its ethics crisis

• Some lawmakers, frustrated by the glacial pace of the Ethics panel, have threatened to take matters into their own hands and force what leaders in both parties see as premature expulsion votes.
• "The ethics process is completely flawed," one House Democrat vented to Axios last month. "I've been deeply disappointed by the pace and the disjointed approach."

Driving the news: Allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) prompted him to announce his resignation on Monday, but not before driving three of Congress' other long-simmering scandals back up to the surface.

• Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who came under Ethics Committee investigation after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, said he will file his "retirement from office" on Tuesday.
• Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) was found guilty by an Ethics subcommittee of a litany of charges including funneling $5 million in Covid relief funds to her campaign. She is also under federal indictment but has maintained her innocence.
• Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) is under investigation by the Ethics Committee on an array of alleged misdeeds including domestic abuse, stolen valor and financial misconduct, which he denies.

State of play: The languid nature of these investigations is leaving lawmakers who are tired of the cloud of scandal constantly hanging over Capitol Hill significantly wanting.

• Cherfilus-McCormick has been under investigation for years over allegations that stem back to 2022, with the panel set to finally meet April 21 to determine "what, if any, sanction would be appropriate."
• A group of more than a dozen swing-district House Democrats sent House leadership a letter Monday urging them to direct the committee to "expedite" their investigations into these members.

Yes, but: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have both expressed hesitance to push any of their members out of office before they have received full due process.

• Some rank-and-file members feel the same, arguing that their colleagues shouldn't be sanctioned on the basis of allegations until they are substantiated by a formal process.

• Leadership has so far managed to redirect every effort to expel a member this congressional session, usually through a motion to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee.

Between the lines: The internal politics of members of Congress punishing each other are tricky, with lawmakers often enmeshing themselves deep within the institution through connections and seniority.

• Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) had to surrender his leadership of the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security when he was indicted on bribery charges in 2024, only to regain the position after President Trump pardoned him in December.
• Some members have simply managed to weather the storm of scandal and keep getting sent back to Capitol Hill by voters in their district.

What to watch: A resolution could be coming soon in Cherfilus-McCormick's case, with Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) vowing to force an expulsion vote when her Ethics Committee process is concluded.

• But there is no clear indication of what the timeline on Mills' case, which is far newer, looks like — and Democrats may not provide the votes needed to expel Cherfilus-McCormick without also ousting him.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note Rep. Henry Cuellar is a ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security (not Defense).