Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries Are Creating Bipartisan Task Force to Address Sexual Misconduct in the House

(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) are working together to create a task force on sexual misconduct in their chamber.

According to CBS News’ Nikole Killion, the new body will be announced shortly and will be “aimed at addressing how sexual misconduct claims are handled within the House of Representatives.”

“We’re all in support, fully supportive,” Johnson told Killion before identifying “reporting mechanisms” as “the main thing that they need to work on.”

“There’s this concern that, you know, young female staffers, for example, are intimidated to come forward, so trying to figure out some sort of whistleblower protection program. It needs to happen, so we’re gonna advance that as quickly as we can,” continued the speaker.

“We’re working on something bipartisan right now, and we’re trying to figure out the logistics of it,” said Jeffries.

The House has been rocked by a number of high-profile scandals in recent days. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) both resigned last month after Gonzales’s affair with a staffer who later committed suicide became public knowledge, and a number of women leveled weighty allegations — including of rape — against Swalwell.

Johnson addressed the need for action last month, saying, “Look, some of the allegations that have been made, and apparently some of the facts that are coming out to verify those allegations, are shocking to us as they are to all of you, and they must be addressed.”

“You know, we’ve tightened up ethics rules and the laws that apply here, and we’ll continue to be as aggressive as possible to make sure this doesn’t happen. We will bring exact punishment upon those who violate that sacred obligation they have to be a good steward and a boss over their staffs and to not use that position for that kind of terrible activity. I don’t know what else to say about it other than it’s detestable,” he continued. “I’m very grateful that Representative Swalwell decided to resign quickly. As you know, a Democrat did and then a Republican did, Representative Gonzales, and we’re gonna continue to police this as aggressively as we can.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!