NPR Adds New Information on Resigning Congress Members
NPR has made significant changes to an article about Congress members being pressured to resign or face expulsion. The most notable addition is a detailed description of the allegations against Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who is accused of assault and campaign finance violations. According to the article, Mills has denied wrongdoing. The article also provides more context on Rep. Eric Swalwell's resignation, stating that he has vowed to fight allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies. Additionally, NPR has added details about Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who resigned after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. These additions provide a more comprehensive understanding of the situation and its implications for the public's perception of Congress. The changes are likely to inform readers about the specific allegations and circumstances surrounding the resignations, which could influence their understanding of the current state of Congress.
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Sam Gringlas
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics An unusual number of Congress members are being pressured to resign or face expulsion Rep.
+ Capitol is reflected in a window in Washington, D.C.
− Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is one of four House members who have been under pressure to resign or face expulsion recently.
+ Tyrone Turner/NPR hide caption
A Florida Democrat indicted for allegedly using disaster relief money to help fund her campaign resigned from Congress on Tuesday as the House Ethics Committee weighed whether to recommend her expulsion.
Up until her announcement, Rep.
− What does this spate of embattled members say about Congress?
+ Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was one of four House members in recent days who have been under pressure to resign or face expulsion.
− Politics An unusual number of Congress members are being pressured to resign or face expulsion April 21, 20264:10 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Sam Gringlas An unusual number of Congress members are being pressured to resign or face expulsion Listen · 4:18 4:18 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5789032/nx-s1-9739160" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Rep.
+ Three have resigned since last Monday.
Expulsions are extremely rare in Congress, but so is having so many members under such intense scrutiny all at once for various allegations of wrongdoing.
This spate of embattled lawmakers has implications not only for a narrowly-divided Congress, but for the public's perception of how the institution responds to accusations of corruption and sexual misconduct.
Cherfilus-McCormick is awaiting trial on charges of wire fraud and money laundering — and says she has not received due process.
− Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is one of four House members who have been under pressure to resign or face expulsion recently.
+ Rep.
− What does this spate of embattled members say about Congress?
+ Cory Mills, R-Fla., is accused of assault and campaign finance violations, among other offenses, and has told reporters he did nothing wrong.
Politics Florida Democrat Rep.
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A Florida Democrat indicted for using federal disaster relief money to fund her campaign has resigned from Congress.
+ Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, facing possible expulsion, resigns Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., ultimately resigned from Congress last week amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
− The House Ethics Committee was weighing whether to recommend her expulsion.
+ Though he said he has made mistakes, Swalwell has vowed to fight the allegations against him, which he denies.
− Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is one of four House members in recent days who have been under pressure to resign or face expulsion over various allegations of wrongdoing. NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas has this look at why expulsions are rare and what this flurry of embattled members says about Congress now.
+ Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, also resigned, after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
− SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: The two Republicans and two Democrats denied wrongdoing.
− But in recent days, some lawmakers said Congress should not wait.
+ But in recent days, some members said Congress should not wait for the conclusion of those processes, which can sometimes take years.
Rep.
− Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna wanted to expel all four.
+ Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., was among the lawmakers calling for the swift expulsion of all four.
− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ANNA PAULINA LUNA: We should be able to all agree on the basics that maybe if you're - I don't know - sexually harassing or assaulting or you're stealing funds from FEMA, maybe you should not be in Congress, right?
+ "We should all be able to agree on the basics that maybe if you're sexually harassing or assaulting or have issues of domestic violence or you're stealing funds from FEMA, maybe you should not be in Congress," Luna said earlier this month.
− Like, maybe it's time for you to go home and figure those issues out, not on taxpayer dollars.
+ "Maybe it's time for you to go home and figure those issues out, not on taxpayer dollars."
Had Congress moved to expel all four, that would have been more than in the past 165 years.
− GRINGLAS: Cherfilus-McCormick is awaiting trial on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
+ "Most members don't want to undo the preferences of the voters," says former Rep.
− Florida Republican Cory Mills is accused of assault and campaign finance violations among other offenses.
+ Charlie Dent, R-Penn.
Dent heard about a lot of bad behavior as a member of the House Ethics Committee.
− California Democrat Eric Swalwell ultimately resigned amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
+ From 2015 to 2017, he chaired the panel, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
− So did Texas Republican Tony Gonzales after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Had Congress moved to expel all four, that would have been more than in the past 165 years.
+ Dent says its members took their responsibility seriously, despite how awkward it can be to police colleagues.
− CHARLIE DENT: Most members don't want to undo the preferences of the voters.
+ "I've had many uncomfortable elevator rides with my colleagues over the years who have been under investigation and I really didn't feel like talking to them," he says.
− GRINGLAS: Former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent saw a lot of bad behavior as chair of House Ethics from 2015 to 2017.
+ Matthew Glassman, a senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, says the framers knew Congress needed a way to protect the integrity of the institution.
− He says the committee's members took their responsibilities seriously, despite how awkward it can be to police your own colleagues.
+ The Constitution allows members to be removed by a two-thirds vote of the chamber, but does not outline what constitutes behavior worthy of expulsion.
− DENT: I've had many uncomfortable elevator rides with some of my colleagues over the years, you know, who are under investigation.
GRINGLAS: Georgetown University's Matthew Glassman says the framers knew Congress needed a way to protect the integrity of the institution, so the Constitution allows members to be removed by a two-thirds vote.
+ Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., resigned just as the ethics committee was set to announce a sanctions recommendation.
− Expulsion was only used once until the Civil War.
+ Above, Cherfilus McCormick appears outside the Capitol on Sept.
− Though many Southern members resigned...
MATTHEW GLASSMAN: You have a fair number of them who don't - right?
+ 20, 2024.
− - who stay around in the Congress, in many cases openly supporting the Confederacy.
+ J.
− Some of them are actually in the Confederate army, literally taking up arms against the United States military.
+ Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Expulsion was used only once, for treason, until the Civil War.
− GRINGLAS: Since that era, only three members have been expelled.
+ Though many Southern members resigned, Glassman says, many did not.
"You have a fair number of them who don't, who stay around in the Congress, in many cases openly supporting the Confederacy.
− Most recently, Republican Congressman George Santos in 2023, who had been indicted for wire fraud and identity theft.
+ Some of them are actually in the Confederate Army taking up arms against the United States military."
Since that era, only three members have been expelled — most recently Rep.
− Glassman says it's not that behavior has gotten worse, but that standards have changed.
+ George Santos, R-N.Y., in 2023, who had been indicted on charges of wire fraud and identity theft. Two House Democrats were expelled following convictions on bribery charges, in 1980 and 2002.
− GLASSMAN: A lot of things which we would think of now as abuse of office were very commonplace in the 19th century.
+ Glassman, a former staffer for the Congressional Research Service and an expert on congressional history, says it is not that behavior has gotten worse, but that standards have changed.
− GRINGLAS: A key reason so few members of Congress have been removed historically is many resign first.
+ "A lot of things which we would think of now of abuse of office were very commonplace in the 19th century," he says.
− But Dent says some lawmakers have learned from President Trump to never admit wrongdoing, so they hang on longer.
DENT: Members would resign because they felt shame.
+ "Honest graft in Tammany Hall 150 years ago was just honest graft.
− If you don't feel shame and you're not embarrassed, you're not going to care what people say about you.
+ Honest graft is not just against the rules of the House, but it's illegal too."
A key reason so few members of Congress have been removed historically is that many resign first, like Swalwell, Gonzales and now Cherfilus-McCormick. But Dent says some lawmakers have learned from President Trump to never admit wrongdoing — so they hang on longer.
− GRINGLAS: Ethics cases can go slowly.
+ Eric Swalwell resigned after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
− Dent says members deserve due process, and as investigators turn over more rocks, probes can expand.
+ The California Democrat has denied wrongdoing.
− While members always had power to act on their own to force an expulsion or censure vote, Glassman says backbenchers now feel empowered to move without leadership, whether to address real misconduct or score political points.
+ Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption
"Members would resign because they felt shame," Dent says about past political eras. "If you don't feel shame and you're not embarrassed, you're not going to care about what people say about you."
Cherfilus-McCormick did not resign until just before the Ethics Committee, which had already found her responsible for more than two dozen violations, was set to hand down a sanctions recommendation after a two-year investigation. The committee loses jurisdiction once a lawmaker leaves office.
− DENT: You get to Congress in 1990, and how could you ever reach a national audience?
+ "Rather than play these political games, I choose to step aside," she wrote in a statement.
− Nowadays, you come with a massive megaphone via social media.
+ "We should be very careful about the precedent we are setting. In this country we do not punish people before due process is complete."
Mills told reporters on Tuesday that he has no plans to resign.
− GRINGLAS: That also means the public is more tuned in.
+ "There is zero criminal and or civil cases which are opened against me.
− Responding to criticism, the Ethics Committee published a letter this week saying it's dedicated to, quote, "ensuring that any individuals responsible for misconduct are held responsible."
DENT: There's a widespread belief that members of Congress don't have to follow the same rules or can get away with things.
+ I've never been charged, found guilty of anything of any sort," Mills said.
− And, you know, when these scandals come to light, that feeds that perception.
+ "I've never been indicted for any type of fraud or stealing of federal funds.
− And when the House doesn't do anything about it, it feeds that perception.
+ So why would I resign?"
An Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct is ongoing.
− GRINGLAS: Still, pushing a colleague out has high stakes when the chamber is so thinly divided.
+ Ethics cases can go slowly.
− But when a member threatens the standing of the party or the institution, Dent says lawmakers may decide booting them is worth the risk.
+ Dent says members deserve due process, and as investigators turn over more stones, probes can expand.
But some lawmakers are now more willing to threaten expulsion or censure votes, which any member can force, without a conviction, ethics committee recommendation or blessing from leadership.
Glassman says a growing number of censure and expulsion resolutions are being proposed by back-bench members eager to score political points.
− Sam Gringlas, NPR News, Washington.
+ Other times they are targeting genuine misconduct. And in both cases, individual members feel more empowered to act unilaterally.
− (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright © 2026 NPR.
+ "You get to Congress in 1990 and how could you ever reach a national audience?" Glassman says.
− All rights reserved.
+ "Nowadays you come with a massive megaphone via social media."
Rep.
− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
+ Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is among the lawmakers who has called for swifter expulsions of members accused of wrongdoing.
− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.
+ Ben Curtis/AP hide caption
That also means the public is more tuned in.
− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.
+ Responding to criticism, the House Ethics Committee published a letter this week saying it's dedicated to "ensuring that any individuals responsible for misconduct are held responsible."
Lawmakers and aides on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged that Congress can do more to prevent and promptly address sexual misconduct within their ranks.
"There are better ways of ensuring that people in vulnerable situations ...
− Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication.
+ have access to a way in which they can get recourse and relief, for sure," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said last week.
− The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
+ "And if there is a better way to do that, I'm certainly open to it."
Politics How Eric Swalwell's fall was brought on by a network of women who organized online "There's a widespread belief that members of Congress don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else," Glassman says.
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+ "When these scandals come to light, it feeds that perception. And when the House doesn't do anything about it, it feeds that perception [too]."
Still, pushing a colleague out involves high stakes when the chamber is so thinly-divided. With Cherfilus-McCormick's resignation, there are now 218 Republican-aligned members in the House to 213 Democrats. That leaves the GOP with a slightly larger margin -- the party can now lose two members on any vote.
But when a member threatens the standing of the institution or the party's ability to keep its majority in upcoming elections, Dent says, lawmakers may decide booting them is worth the risk.
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