House kills effort to release all congressional sexual misconduct and harassment reports
The House Ethics Committee argued that the bill could re-traumatize victims and chill witness cooperation.Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Posted For: stormykitteh
WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday to block an effort by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace to increase transparency surrounding sexual misconduct allegations involving members of Congress.
Mace, a conservative Republican who is running for governor of South Carolina, pushed for a floor vote on a resolution directing the House Ethics Committee to release all reports related to accusations of sexual misconduct or harassment involving lawmakers and congressional staff.
The House voted 357–65 to send the resolution to committee, a procedural step that effectively halted the proposal.
The Ethics Committee had encouraged members to support referring the measure rather than advancing it. In a joint statement, committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., argued that releasing the material could discourage victims and witnesses from cooperating in current or future investigations.
“Here and elsewhere, perpetrators of sexual misconduct should never be shielded from responsibility for their misdeeds,” Guest and DeSaulnier said.
However, they added that making certain investigative materials public could retraumatize victims and deter witnesses who may have only agreed to speak confidentially or with assurances of anonymity.
Mace has spoken publicly about her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault. She has also been active in calls to release government records connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Last fall, she was one of four House Republicans who joined Democrats in supporting a discharge petition that bypassed GOP leadership and eventually led to the Justice Department releasing Epstein-related files.
Mace said her resolution was prompted by media reports that Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas allegedly sent sexually explicit text messages to a female aide, Regina Santos‑Aviles, with whom he was accused of having an affair before she died last year. Gonzales has previously denied having an affair and has not publicly addressed the details of the text messages since they became public.
Mace is among several Republicans who have called on Gonzales to resign.
“I would like members of Congress to tell their female colleagues where they stand on sexual harassment within the U.S. House of Representatives,” Mace told reporters. “Do you support women who work here and serve here as colleagues, or do you not?”
Earlier Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee announced it had opened an investigation into the allegations involving Gonzales. House rules prohibit lawmakers from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships with their own staff members.
In a brief statement responding to the probe, Gonzales said, “I welcome the opportunity to present all the facts to the committee.”
Even with a formal investigation underway, the committee’s findings may never become public. The Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over current members of Congress, meaning the inquiry would end if Gonzales resigned or left office before the investigation is completed.
In Tuesday night’s primary in Texas, Gonzales was forced into a May runoff election against Republican challenger Brandon Herrera.
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