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WASHINGTON — The highest-ranking woman in the House of Representatives is calling for a “bright-line rule” prohibiting lawmakers from having sexual relationships with congressional staff after The Post revealed Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) slept with at least two aides to Texas Democrats.
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), chairwoman of the House Republican Caucus, told The Post that “Senator Gallego’s relationships fall short of the standard the public expects from elected officials.”
“Congress should have a bright-line rule that Members should not have romantic or sexual relationships with congressional staff,” the No. 4 House Republican said.
“Even if a relationship is consensual, there is an inherent power imbalance that can undermine trust and create an appearance of impropriety. The goal should be protecting staff and maintaining confidence in the institution,” she said.
“My standard is the same regardless of party or personality. Members of Congress should be held to a high ethical standard whether they have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ next to their name.”
The House of Representatives approved a policy in 2018 — at the height of the #MeToo movement — banning its members from having relationships with their own staff members — after four lawmakers resigned for alleged misconduct.
That policy does not explicitly bar relationships with staff from other offices.
Gallego’s activities were revealed by The Post on Thursday after Democratic sources dished on the freshman senator’s dalliances during his decade representing Phoenix in the House.
The Post’s sources viewed Gallego’s relationships as an abuse of his power, even though neither woman worked directly for him, in part because he held significant sway over their careers. In one case, there was also a significant age gap.
McClain joined a chorus of other women saying enough is enough with the boys club after Gallego’s best friend in Congress, the disgraced ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), resigned in April after four women accused him of sexual harassment or assault.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who along with Gallego and Swalwell comprised the so-called “Cool Kids Clique,” admitted in June that he cheated on his wife after The Post reported that he was spotted kissing an aide to Swalwell outside a backyard party in the summer of 2023.
CNN reported last month that the House Ethics Committee “learned of other allegations of sexual misconduct against Gomez that it is now investigating.”
“At some point you stop calling it a coincidence and start calling it a culture,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who ridiculed Gallego’s non-denial on Thursday, calling the allegations “gossip.”
“The response is always the same — ‘I’m not going to engage in gossip.’ It’s not gossip when three men in the same clique keep ending up in the same headline,” Mace told The Post.
“If you can’t get through a term without hitting on somebody’s staff, find another job or, at the very least, download a dating app and leave the women you work with alone.”
Other Republican women took the lead in pushing for changes after the report on Gallego, whom Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) referred to the Senate Ethics Committee earlier this year. The panel dismissed the complaint — the contents of which were not made public.
“Stop protecting politicians. Start protecting people,” Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) posted on X.
“The Senate Ethics Committee closed its investigation into Ruben Gallego. Seventeen days later, new reporting alleged he had sexual relationships with House staffers while serving in Congress,” Cammack wrote.
“His response? ‘Gossip.’ As Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, I’m leading a bipartisan effort to reform how Congress handles sexual misconduct. Accountability cannot begin and end with resignations. Close the resignation loopholes. No more secret findings. No more special treatment. Hold every offender accountable.”
Luna, meanwhile, took a victory lap after Gallego called her prior allegations “right-wing conspiracies.”
“‘Conspiracy theories’ right @SenRubenGallego? Time to resign. Glad people are going on record about this creep,” she wrote.
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