Draining the Swamp, Starting with Congress

Two down and two to go.

This week, the hammer fell on Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who until recently had been leading a crowded field for the Democratic nomination for governor of California. As long as Swalwell was toeing the party line and doing the leadership’s bidding, such as serving as their designated attack dog against President Trump, Nancy Pelosi and company were content to keep the allegations about his serial sexual misconduct under wraps. But apparently, Eric got too big for his britches and so, Nancy – his one-time mentor – gave the nod… and the floodgates opened up. Within days, five different women had come forward with credible stories about Swalwell sexually harassing and/or assaulting them… and several of the women claim to have been drugged and raped by the six-term congressman.

At first, Swalwell promised to fight the allegations tooth and nail, but as donors and endorsements fell by the wayside, he realized that his gubernatorial campaign was on life-support. Swalwell pulled the plug on his campaign on Monday, still clinging to the pipe dream that his congressional career could be salvaged. That delusion lasted less than 24 hours and Swalwell is now a former congressman, having resigned in complete disgrace. Meanwhile, district attorneys in California and New York have opened criminal investigations into the allegations against him.

I am not a legal expert, but I’m guessing that Swalwell will spend considerable time behind bars before this is over. He will also face financial ruin since his accusers are sure to be awarded punitive damages should he be found guilty. At this point, one can only pray for his tortured soul… and for his long-suffering wife and three innocent children, all of whom are unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, across the congressional aisle, Rep. Ernest Anthony “Tony” Gonzales II (R-TX) also resigned his seat this week amidst a sexual scandal. Gonzalez had represented a heavily Hispanic district in southwest Texas since 2021. Now the seat is vacant because after initially denying it, Gonzalez finally admitted to having an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide. Once again, the innocent victims in this sordid affair are his wife and six children.

I am glad that Swalwell and Gonzalez resigned, but please don’t think that they did it for noble reasons. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) were introducing a bipartisan motion to expel both men from the House and claim that they had secured the necessary votes to remove them from office. "If it wouldn't have been for those resolutions that we were each filing, they wouldn't have resigned,” Leger Fernández said.

So, who should be next on the congressional chopping block? Smart money says it will be Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL)… and I say good riddance to both.

Cory Mills is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for possible campaign finance violations and sexual harassment. His recent history contains a laundry list of alleged misconduct that includes being sued for back rent on his Washington D.C. apartment (later settled), “sucker punching” someone while under the influence of alcohol during a 2023 congressional trip to Ireland, misrepresenting his military role as a sniper and medic, and improperly soliciting or receiving gifts in connection with privately sponsored official travel.

Perhaps the most serious allegations facing Mills involve his former girlfriend, Lindsey Langston, who was Miss United States 2024. Langston has accused Mills of threatening to release intimate images and videos of her after she broke up with him. She went to court in October 2025 and successfully obtained a restraining order against Mills because the judge in the case said that he did not find Mills' testimony to be "truthful".

Then there is Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is under federal indictment over allegations that she stole $5 million from FEMA disaster funds for personal use. Although Cherfilus-McCormick denies any wrongdoing, a bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee found that 25 of the 27 charges against her are credible.

“I think the facts are indisputable at this point,” Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday, “and so I believe it’ll be the consensus of this body that she should be expelled.”

Now that Swalwell and Gonzalez are gone, attention has turned to Mills and Cherfilus-McCormick. The clock is ticking and time appears to be running out for both of them.

When President Trump promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, most people assumed he was referring to the 450,000 bureaucrats inside the Beltway and the 2 million federal workers across the country. Now it seems like the best place to start is in the halls of Congress.