As the war with Iran rages on and midterms creep closer, several smaller stories have been easily overlooked and the Epstein files have all but been swept under the rug.
On April 9, First Lady Melania Trump made a statement about how “the lines linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.” She details the first time she met Epstein and claims she never had a relationship with the man.
Her statement finished with a call to action, urging Congress to act. “Epstein was not alone. Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized,” said Melania. “Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.”
The next day, President Donald Trump told the New York Times he did not know what topic the statement would be on. A senior white house official told CNN that the president declined to watch her statement in real time. In March, the Department of Justice posted interviews by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with a woman who alleged Trump had sexually assaulted her and introduced her to Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager. Since 2014, Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by 28 women, according to The Guardian in 2020.
Earlier this year, in March, Texas Representative Tony Gonzalez withdrew from the reelection race. Gonzales had admitted to an affair, sparking an investigation by the Committee on Ethics within the House of Representatives. Gonzales had an affair with his district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, who committed suicide by self-immolation in September of last year, according to Texas Public Radio.
On March 4, the House Ethics Committee released a statement claiming that “sexual harassment and workplace misconduct” have “no place in the halls of Congress.” Little over a month later, California Representative Eric Swalwell, who was elected to Congress in 2012, was accused of sexual misconduct on April 10.
A former staff member of Swalwell told The San Francisco Chronicle that the representative had sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel room while she was intoxicated. On Saturday, April 11, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced it was starting an investigation into the allegation. The House Ethics Committee has also launched an investigation.
Several hours after the first allegation went public, CNN published an article including three other women accusing Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including explicit messages and unsolicited photos. Swalwell denies the allegations, but the accusations have upended the California governor’s race in which he was a prominent figure.
Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna proposed a motion to expel Swalwell. The New York Times reports this motion may set off a chain reaction in Congress. Along with Swalwell and Gonzales, Florida Representative Cory Mills was investigated by the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police in connection with a report of assault on a woman. Mills’ former girlfriend also issued a protective order against him, alleging that he threatened her with revenge porn after their breakup.
Historically, the House has called on alleged offenders to end their reelection campaigns but not called for their resignation. Since 2017, AP News has catalogued 147 state lawmakers across 44 states who have been accused of sexual misconduct or harassment.
“I don’t care what the party affiliation is; if they are corrupt and engaging in illegal activity in Congress, I’m going to vote to expel them,” Luna wrote on social media. “It is time Congress had a good house cleaning.” Luna has also called for Gonzales’ expulsion.
On April 13, Swalwell posted on X declaring that he was resigning from Congress. Swalwell denies the allegations but writes that he “must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.” Minutes later, Gonzales announced he would formally file for resignation on April 14.
Resigning will put both men outside of the Ethics committee’s jurisdiction. It’s not clear what information the committee had gathered or if any of it will be made public.
