Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Wednesday that she plans to force a House vote next week on a resolution requiring the release of sexual misconduct and harassment reports involving members of Congress and their staff.
Mace told NBC News she intends to file the measure as "privileged" on March 4, a parliamentary step that would require House GOP leadership to bring it to the floor within two legislative days.
Lawmakers would then have to vote either on adopting the resolution, tabling it, or sending it to committee.
Mace's push comes as Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, faces fresh scrutiny over allegations that he sent sexually explicit text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair. The aide later died by suicide.
Gonzales has denied having an affair and has argued he is the target of blackmail and a political attack ahead of Texas' March 3 primary, which includes his GOP contest in the sprawling 23rd Congressional District along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I'm not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas," Gonzales told reporters on Capitol Hill this week.
The independent Office of Congressional Conduct has completed an investigation into Gonzales, and House Ethics Committee procedures could delay transmission of the office's report until after the March 3 election under the office's rules and House practice during election periods.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has acknowledged the allegations are serious while resisting calls to pressure Gonzales to resign before the ethics process plays out.
"There are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously. And I've told him he's got to address that with his constituents and, and he's in the process of doing that," Johnson told CNN.
"It is my understanding there's an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and has been going for some time, and the Office of Congressional Conduct has also, it's been reported, they've been looking at it and all of that was news to me.
"But I ... think as in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out."
Mace said she introduced the resolution in response to the Gonzales allegations and argued that secrecy around internal congressional investigations has shielded lawmakers in both parties from accountability.
"The reason that no one is ever held accountable here in Congress for their transgressions is because both sides protect the other," Mace said in a video posted Tuesday night.
In a separate statement shared by Axios, Mace said: "Tony Gonzales showed us what is happening in Congress. But he is not the only one.
"The American people deserve answers. Staff deserve answers. Women deserve answers. No more protection for predators in Congress."
House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., warned that forcing broad disclosures could undercut the committee's work, saying public releases during pending matters would be "detrimental" and could impede investigators' ability to conduct a thorough review.
Congress has faced years of pressure to increase transparency around workplace misconduct complaints, including scrutiny of how claims are resolved under the Congressional Accountability Act and reforms enacted in 2018 that made members personally liable for awards and settlements resulting from their harassment or retaliation.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 in the U.S. to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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