House

Top woman in Congress says she ‘did not even hear a rumor’ about Swalwell, Gonzales

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by Max Rego - 04/16/26 2:36 PM ET

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by Max Rego - 04/16/26 2:36 PM ET

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Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the House minority whip, said Thursday that she never heard a “rumor” about alleged misconduct by former Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

“I personally did not even hear a rumor about Eric Swalwell or Tony Gonzales until the allegations came out,” she told host Kate Bolduan on “CNN News Central.”

“But we have a duty to act, and we have a duty and a standard that should be of the highest because we represent people,” the highest-ranking woman in Congress added. “We are public servants and we have to make sure that we are not just meeting the law but that we are doing that honorably and we do it and create a workplace that is secure.”

Gonzales and Swalwell resigned from the House on Tuesday amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which sparked separate probes by the House Ethics Committee. The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is also reportedly investigating allegations against Swalwell.

On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle detailed accusations of sexual assault levied by a former aide against Swalwell, who was also running for governor until he ended his campaign Sunday. CNN also reported on three women who accused the California lawmaker of separate instances of sexual misconduct, including sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos. CNN later reported on a fifth accuser.

The San Antonio Express-News reported earlier this year that Gonzales had an affair with his district director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide. Text messages extracted from her phone and provided by her widower to media outlets, including The Hill, showed Gonzales soliciting sexual material from Santos-Aviles as she said he was going too far.

Gonzales admitted to the affair last month. Swalwell, meanwhile, said he will fight the “false allegations” made against him but admitted to prior “mistakes in judgment” in announcing his resignation.

Clark said that members of Congress “have to make sure” that their staffers know “how to report” allegations of sexual misconduct.

“We have to make sure we have a system that enables people, if these incidents happen to them to report it and know they will be taken seriously and that their jobs will be protected while an investigation goes forward,” Clark said. “There clearly is a system here where people don’t feel they have that security, and that’s what we have to address.”

California Reps. Pete Aguilar and Ted Lieu, the third- and fourth-highest-ranking Democrats in the lower chamber, also denied prior knowledge of allegations against Swalwell on Wednesday.

“Personally, I found out when the … San Francisco Chronicle article was published on Friday, and then shortly thereafter, I think, the CNN article,” Aguilar told reporters. “Just shock and saddened — I felt for the accusers who absolutely need to be believed, and just shocked and saddened for everybody involved.”

“Just deeply disturbing allegations and horrific in nature and ultimately the right outcome here with — with multiple members of Congress leaving yesterday. But just felt a sense of disgust, quite honest. And I think that’s the only way to say it,” he added.

“I had no idea until I read the San Francisco Chronicle article when it was published, and I believe Representative Swalwell did the right thing by resigning,” Lieu told reporters.

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