Mike Johnson Vows to ‘Exact Punishment’ on ‘Predators’ in Congress Accused of ‘Detestable’ Sexual Misconduct
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to “exact punishment” on “predators” in Congress during a Wednesday morning press conference after two members of the House resigned in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
Asked during a press conference what the House intended to do to better protect staffers from sexual misconduct, Johnson replied:
The question is what more could the House do to protect staffers from predators. You didn’t say that, I said it. 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.
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.
“I will say this, the House Ethics Committee has been one of the most involved, busy committees in Congress and they are around the clock investigating allegations against members,” he concluded. “When an allegation is made, they go into that process. It’s bipartisan by design and it has worked well, and some of those investigations are ongoing.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) resigned from Congress on Tuesday after he was accused of rape and sexual misconduct by several women.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) also announced his resignation on Tuesday after he was accused of and admitted to having an affair with a staffer who went on to kill herself.
Watch above via Fox News.
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