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A sitting House Democrat who’s being investigated over sexual relations with a congressional aide is now being accused of assault.
One of the women interviewed by the House Ethics Committee for its probe into Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., is disputing his account of a “consensual” affair in what her lawyers are calling a “brazen” example of misconduct.
“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. Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client,” the woman’s lawyers said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
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“We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation.”
Gomez admitted to making “mistakes outside [his] marriage” in a statement to Fox News Digital earlier this week after the House’s internal watchdog announced it was probing him for misconduct.
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He said on Monday, “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.”
But the woman’s lawyers said Wednesday that it is “just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress.”
“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. We will continue to work with our client and with the House Committee on Ethics to ensure there is accountability for Representative Gomez and a safe path for any other survivors to come forward and share their experiences,” the lawyers said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gomez’s office for a response.
He’s the latest House lawmaker to be accused of improper relations with a member of congressional staff. His former ally, ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., saw his gubernatorial campaign derailed earlier this year amid allegations of rape.
Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., both dropped their re-election bids amid backlash over sexual harassment accusations.
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