US Democrat Jimmy Gomez faces sexual assault allegation over "consensual" encounter

A US House Democrat being investigated over alleged sexual misconduct involving a congressional aide has been accused of sexual assault by one of the women interviewed by the House Ethics Committee.

Lawyers for the woman have disputed Rep Jimmy Gomez’s account that his actions were consensual, saying his statement was inaccurate.

“We represent one of the women who was interviewed by the House Committee on Ethics about her experience of sexual harassment and assault by Representative Jimmy Gomez. Contrary to Representative Gomez’s assertion in his statement, his actions were not ‘consensual in nature’ with respect to our client,” the woman's lawyers said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

“We fully expect that the House Committee on Ethics will come to the same conclusion in its investigation.”

Gomez, a California Democrat, said earlier this week that he had made “mistakes outside [his] marriage” after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into alleged misconduct.

“Although my actions were consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House Ethics rules, that doesn’t diminish the impact that these mistakes have made on those I care about the most,” he said.

The woman's lawyers described his statement as “just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress.”

“Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job. We will continue to work with our client and with the House Committee on Ethics to ensure there is accountability for Representative Gomez and a safe path for any other survivors to come forward and share their experiences,” they said.

The House Ethics Committee is continuing its investigation.

By Aghakazim Guliyev