Senate Ethics Committee dismisses misconduct complaint against Gallego
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a misconduct complaint against Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, filed by GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.
- The committee found no evidence that Gallego violated federal law, Senate rules, or standards of conduct.
- Luna had alleged misconduct of a sexual nature and campaign finance violations, claims Gallego denied.
The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed a misconduct complaint filed against Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Gallego's office announced Monday that the bipartisan committee informed the senator on Friday that it found no evidence his actions violated federal law, Senate rules, or related standards of conduct.
did not find evidence that your actions violated federal law, Senate rules or related standards of conduct.
Luna had made allegations in April, stating the purported misconduct was sexual in nature and involved campaign finance violations. In an interview with CBS News, Luna claimed a woman was coming forward with attorneys to go on record about an alleged sexual incident involving Gallego.
there is a woman that allegedly is coming forward with attorneys [and] wants to go on-record about an incident that occurred between the two of them at the same time, and the event was sexual in nature, allegedly.
Gallego, who has denied any wrongdoing, fully cooperated with the committee's investigation. The panel stated it considered various pieces of information, including statements from individuals named in the complaint, Federal Election Commission reports, and expenditure reports from both the House and Senate. The committee also noted its authority to revisit the matter should new facts emerge.
I think any time that you are knowingly engaging in purchasing someone for sex, that that is something that should be taken seriously.
Following the dismissal, the Arizona Democrat called for an apology from Luna, asserting that the outcome "reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists." Luna's allegations surfaced as other women accused former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, an associate of Gallego, of sexual misconduct. Swalwell resigned from Congress in April and withdrew from the California gubernatorial race. Gallego has denied any knowledge of Swalwell's alleged misconduct, stating he was "manipulated" and "lied to" by Swalwell.
reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists.
Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.