WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is investigating Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles for alleged sexual misconduct.

The committee said it is investigating allegations that Gomez, 51, engaged in "inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer," according to a statement released by the committee's chair, Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.).

The New York Post reported in April that Gomez, a married five-term congressman, was spotted in 2023 kissing a much younger staffer from another office. CNN reported that the House Ethics Committee later discovered other allegations of sexual misconduct by Gomez.

Gomez acknowledged in a statement Monday that he made "personal mistakes outside my marriage," but said that his "actions were consensual in nature and haven't violated the law or House Ethics rules."

Guest and DeSaulnier said in their statement that the panel's public acknowledgment of the investigation "does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred."

Gomez said he is "confident that a full and impartial review of the facts will bear that out" and that he is "ready to cooperate with the Ethics Committee inquiry and provide it with whatever information it might need."

The committee can take a wide range of actions if it substantiates the allegations in an investigation, including recommending that a member be reprimanded, censured or removed, or referring the conduct to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal investigation.

Gomez represents California's 34th Congressional District, stretching from Koreatown to Eagle Rock. He faces an election challenge in November from Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres, who has the backing of the progressive Justice Democrats.

Gomez received 46% of the vote in the June primary, while Gonzales-Torres got 30%.

Gonzales-Torres has been particularly critical of Gomez because of his past support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

Gonzales-Torres blasted Gomez in a statement to The Times after news of the investigation.

"At a time when working families are struggling the most, we need to get creeps out of office," she said. "We need representatives who will actually focus on fighting for policies like Medicare for All — not people like Rep. Jimmy Gomez and Donald Trump, who are mired in scandal and investigation."

Gomez was friends with former California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), who resigned from Congress earlier this year and suspended his campaign for California gubernatorial campaign after being accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Gomez had been a co-chair of Swalwell's campaign.

The 2023 incident reportedly occurred at a party hosted by Swalwell.

Gomez is married to Mary Hodge, a onetime top aide to former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The couple have a son whom Gomez wore in a baby carrier during the lengthy House speaker election in 2023. That same year, Gomez founded the Congressional Dads Caucus, which has advocated for expanded child tax credits and other parent-friendly legislation.

Gomez apologized to Hodge in his statement.

"I am deeply sorry to my wife for the pain and embarrassment that I have brought into our lives," he said. "Her sacrifices and support are central to my ability to serve, and I can only feel gratitude for her grace and strength."

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