WASHINGTON — Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) called for an overhaul of the House Ethics Committee after three members of Congress — two Democrats and a Republican — resigned within days of one another following calls for their expulsion over alleged misconduct. A fourth member facing calls for expulsion has refused to resign.

"Clearly, we have an ethical problem," DeSaulnier said. A member of the House Ethics Committee since 2023, he said the panel is long overdue for an overhaul and should speed up investigations and have more authority to address misconduct before members can resign to avoid accountability. He compared the committee's process to law enforcement standards for suspensions with or without pay for officers facing misconduct allegations.

The committee's records show that since 1976 it has investigated 28 instances in which a House member was suspected of sexual misconduct. In 13 of those instances, the panel lost jurisdiction because the member resigned, retired or otherwise left the House before a conclusion was reached.

"Unfortunately, there likely exist matters never reported to the Committee," the panel said. The panel added that its "greatest hurdle" in evaluating allegations is "convincing the most vulnerable witnesses to share their stories."

The committee lost jurisdiction in its investigation into former California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat accused of sexual assault who denied the allegations. It also lost jurisdiction in its inquiry into former Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican who admitted last month to a sexual relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) resigned while facing an ethics investigation and federal criminal charges of stealing $5 million in disaster relief funds. She has pleaded not guilty.

The committee is currently investigating Rep. Cory Mills (R-Flora) on allegations of sexual misconduct and/or dating violence. Mills has denied wrongdoing and declined to step down, saying that House Speaker Mike Johnson told him not to resign and to let the process play out.

"There's got to be an element of due process," Johnson said at a news conference. He acknowledged that the process sometimes takes a long time and said he is open to suggestions on how to improve it.

That stance drew objections from 14 House Democrats in competitive swing districts, including Reps. Mike Levin and Derek Tran. In a letter to Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the lawmakers urged House leaders to push the Ethics Committee to expedite its investigation with more transparency, including public hearings.