"RAISE YOUR HAND": The Fight to Open
Congress's Secret Harassment Files
It’s time for real accountability in Washington. Rep. Nancy Mace is leading the charge to expose the House Ethics Committee’s hidden records on sexual harassment, demanding transparency from both parties. Enough with the backroom deals that shield predators while everyday Americans suffer the consequences of a broken system.
For too long, powerful insiders have protected their own, ignoring victims and eroding public trust. Recent resignations like Swalwell’s highlight the urgent need to purge the swamp, but half-measures won’t cut it. We must demand full disclosure to root out misconduct wherever it hides.
True reform means putting victims first and restoring integrity to Congress. Conservatives have long fought for this kind of openness—now is the moment to deliver an avalanche of resignations and prove government can work for the people again.The post from Republican Army is simple and designed to travel. Big black letters: "RAISE YOUR HAND if You Also Want To See Congresses Sexual Harassment Records!" Below it, a photo of Rep. Eric Swalwell with his hand up at a podium.
It is not random timing. Swalwell, the California Democrat who was the frontrunner for governor, resigned from Congress in April 2025 after four women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, including a former staffer who alleged rape. Swalwell "categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation," calling them a "political hit job."
His resignation reignited the oldest unanswered question on Capitol Hill: how many other cases have been paid for quietly — and who paid for them?
The $18 million slush fundCongress does not handle harassment claims like a normal workplace. Since 1995, complaints have gone through the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights under the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA).
For 22 years, the process was secret by law:
victims had to do months of counseling and mediationsettlements were paid from a special Treasury fund — taxpayer moneythe lawmaker's name was never releasedBetween 1997 and 2019, that fund paid about $18 million to settle roughly 300 complaints, including about $450,000 for sex-based discrimination and harassment claims, according to data later released by the House Administration Committee.
You paid for it. You were not allowed to know who it was for.
The system cracked in 2017 during #MeToo, when Rep. Jackie Speier and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand forced reforms. The 2018 CAA Reform Act ended forced mediation and required members to personally reimburse the Treasury for harassment settlements. But it did not make old cases public — and it still allows settlements to be confidential if both sides agree.
Why it's back in 2026Three things brought the issue back:
The Swalwell case. After CNN reported the allegations, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna moved to expel Swalwell and demanded the House release "details about a congressional slush fund." Luna argued the public has a right to know if a sitting member had prior settlements.Nancy Mace's push. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, has called for a full release of harassment records and "an avalanche of resignations," saying both parties have shielded predators to protect power.A new bipartisan bill. In late 2024, a House bill with 21 co-sponsors was introduced to require disclosure of any sexual harassment settlement involving a member or senior staff within 30 days of payment — and to bar taxpayer money from being used at all. Lawmakers would have to pay out of pocket and their names would be published in the Congressional Record.The bill is stalled in the House Administration Committee, where leadership in both parties has quietly opposed full retroactive disclosure, citing victim privacy.
The argument for opening the filesSupporters — including the Republican Army post, Mace, Luna, and watchdog groups — say:
Voters employ members of Congress. If a boss in the private sector used company money to settle harassment, shareholders would know.Transparency deters abuse. The secret process created what CNN called a "cesspool of inflated male egos" where complaints went unreported for years.Taxpayers should not be the insurance policy. If a member settles, the member should pay and the public should know.The argument against a full dumpOpponents, including some Democrats and victim-advocacy groups, warn:
Releasing names without consent re-traumatizes victims who settled confidentially to protect careers.It could chill reporting. Staffers may not come forward if they know their case will become a political weapon.Not every settlement equals guilt. Many are nuisance payouts to avoid litigation, and public disclosure could be weaponized in campaigns.The 2018 reform tried to split the difference: future members pay, but past cases stay sealed.
What you would actually seeIf Congress voted tomorrow to "raise your hand" and release everything, the files would likely show:
most settlements were for non-sexual workplace disputes (discrimination, wrongful termination)a small but consistent number each year involved sexual harassment claims against both Democrats and Republicansalmost all were under $100,000 and paid before 2018very few members were repeat offenders, but those who were often stayed in office for yearsWe know this because partial data was released in 2017. What we don't know is the names attached to the post-2018 confidential agreements — and that is what the new bill targets.
The bottom lineThe image uses Eric Swalwell's face because his case makes the abstract real. Whether you believe his denials or his accusers, his resignation proved one thing: Congress still polices itself behind closed doors until media pressure forces it open.
"Raise your hand if you want to see the records" is not a policy proposal — it is a poll. And polls show about 80% of Americans on both sides say yes.
The fight is not whether harassment happened. It is whether you get to know who settled, who paid, and whether it was with your money. Until Congress votes to open those files, the hand-raising will keep happening on social media, not on the House floor.
For too long, powerful insiders have protected their own, ignoring victims and eroding public trust. Recent resignations like Swalwell’s highlight the urgent need to purge the swamp, but half-measures won’t cut it. We must demand full disclosure to root out misconduct wherever it hides.
True reform means putting victims first and restoring integrity to Congress. Conservatives have long fought for this kind of openness—now is the moment to deliver an avalanche of resignations and prove government can work for the people again.The post from Republican Army is simple and designed to travel. Big black letters: "RAISE YOUR HAND if You Also Want To See Congresses Sexual Harassment Records!" Below it, a photo of Rep. Eric Swalwell with his hand up at a podium.
It is not random timing. Swalwell, the California Democrat who was the frontrunner for governor, resigned from Congress in April 2025 after four women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, including a former staffer who alleged rape. Swalwell "categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation," calling them a "political hit job."
His resignation reignited the oldest unanswered question on Capitol Hill: how many other cases have been paid for quietly — and who paid for them?
The $18 million slush fundCongress does not handle harassment claims like a normal workplace. Since 1995, complaints have gone through the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights under the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA).
For 22 years, the process was secret by law:
victims had to do months of counseling and mediationsettlements were paid from a special Treasury fund — taxpayer moneythe lawmaker's name was never releasedBetween 1997 and 2019, that fund paid about $18 million to settle roughly 300 complaints, including about $450,000 for sex-based discrimination and harassment claims, according to data later released by the House Administration Committee.
You paid for it. You were not allowed to know who it was for.
The system cracked in 2017 during #MeToo, when Rep. Jackie Speier and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand forced reforms. The 2018 CAA Reform Act ended forced mediation and required members to personally reimburse the Treasury for harassment settlements. But it did not make old cases public — and it still allows settlements to be confidential if both sides agree.
Why it's back in 2026Three things brought the issue back:
The Swalwell case. After CNN reported the allegations, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna moved to expel Swalwell and demanded the House release "details about a congressional slush fund." Luna argued the public has a right to know if a sitting member had prior settlements.Nancy Mace's push. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, has called for a full release of harassment records and "an avalanche of resignations," saying both parties have shielded predators to protect power.A new bipartisan bill. In late 2024, a House bill with 21 co-sponsors was introduced to require disclosure of any sexual harassment settlement involving a member or senior staff within 30 days of payment — and to bar taxpayer money from being used at all. Lawmakers would have to pay out of pocket and their names would be published in the Congressional Record.The bill is stalled in the House Administration Committee, where leadership in both parties has quietly opposed full retroactive disclosure, citing victim privacy.
The argument for opening the filesSupporters — including the Republican Army post, Mace, Luna, and watchdog groups — say:
Voters employ members of Congress. If a boss in the private sector used company money to settle harassment, shareholders would know.Transparency deters abuse. The secret process created what CNN called a "cesspool of inflated male egos" where complaints went unreported for years.Taxpayers should not be the insurance policy. If a member settles, the member should pay and the public should know.The argument against a full dumpOpponents, including some Democrats and victim-advocacy groups, warn:
Releasing names without consent re-traumatizes victims who settled confidentially to protect careers.It could chill reporting. Staffers may not come forward if they know their case will become a political weapon.Not every settlement equals guilt. Many are nuisance payouts to avoid litigation, and public disclosure could be weaponized in campaigns.The 2018 reform tried to split the difference: future members pay, but past cases stay sealed.
What you would actually seeIf Congress voted tomorrow to "raise your hand" and release everything, the files would likely show:
most settlements were for non-sexual workplace disputes (discrimination, wrongful termination)a small but consistent number each year involved sexual harassment claims against both Democrats and Republicansalmost all were under $100,000 and paid before 2018very few members were repeat offenders, but those who were often stayed in office for yearsWe know this because partial data was released in 2017. What we don't know is the names attached to the post-2018 confidential agreements — and that is what the new bill targets.
The bottom lineThe image uses Eric Swalwell's face because his case makes the abstract real. Whether you believe his denials or his accusers, his resignation proved one thing: Congress still polices itself behind closed doors until media pressure forces it open.
"Raise your hand if you want to see the records" is not a policy proposal — it is a poll. And polls show about 80% of Americans on both sides say yes.
The fight is not whether harassment happened. It is whether you get to know who settled, who paid, and whether it was with your money. Until Congress votes to open those files, the hand-raising will keep happening on social media, not on the House floor.
