The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed allegations that Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, engaged in sexual misconduct and violated campaign finance laws, after an investigation prompted by a complaint from a Republican congresswoman.
In a private letter dated June 26, which Mr. Gallego blasted out in a news release on Monday, the bipartisan ethics panel wrote that it “did not find evidence that your actions violated federal law, Senate rules, or related standards of conduct.”
The committee said it had reviewed statements by individuals identified in the complaint, as well as campaign finance reports, expenditure reports from the clerk of the House of Representatives and other documents.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, first made accusations against Mr. Gallego, who is mulling a run for president in 2028, in an April interview with CBS News.
Ms. Luna had played a key role in forcing the resignations of two House lawmakers, one Republican and one Democrat, accused of sexual misconduct, and was on the warpath to rid Congress of other harassers.
She claimed she knew of a woman who was going to come forward and publicly disclose a sexual incident involving Mr. Gallego. Ms. Luna said that Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, had assured her the matter would be investigated.
Mr. Gallego vehemently denied the charge and proactively reached out to the Senate Ethics Committee and offered to cooperate with an investigation.
Mr. Gallego has been under scrutiny ever since Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, resigned from Congress this year and suspended his campaign for governor after allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staff member and engaged in misconduct with other women. Mr. Swalwell has denied the allegations.
Mr. Gallego, who served for a decade in the House, was one of Mr. Swalwell’s closest friends and often socialized with him. He served as the co-chairman of Mr. Swalwell’s short-lived 2020 presidential campaign.
His posture after Mr. Swalwell’s fall was both aggressive and defensive. Mr. Gallego held an unusual and emotional news conference in the basement of the Capitol to address the swirl of rumors around him after the downfall of his friend.
He said that he had been lied to and had no idea about Mr. Swalwell’s misconduct, but also that he had been aware of rumors of “flirty” behavior by the California congressman that he never wanted to look into or believe because of their close friendship.
Mr. Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran and the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico who was raised by a single mother, has been open about his presidential ambitions and eager to put to bed any questions about his conduct that could muddy that path.
In a news release, Mr. Gallego said he had been vindicated against Ms. Luna’s claims, dismissing them as “right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists.”
He added, “I look forward to an apology from Representative Luna for weaponizing the ethics process.”
Ms. Luna, however, was not in an apologizing mood.
“These are not conspiracy theories,” she responded on social media. “There are plenty of people who know about your antics.”
She opaquely warned of more allegations to come, saying Mr. Gallego should “do yourself a favor and keep raising for your legal defense fund. Once a creep always a creep, and you’re gonna need it.”
