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Senator Had Relations with Staffers, Report
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Senator Had Relations with Staffers, Report

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is facing renewed scrutiny following a report alleging he had consensual sexual relationships with two Democratic congressional staffers during his time in the House of Representatives.

According to the New York Post, three unnamed sources—including one who claimed Gallego acknowledged the relationships—said the senator was involved with two Democratic aides who worked for members of Congress from Texas. The report states the women were not employed by Gallego's office and that the relationships allegedly occurred when Gallego was not married to either his first or second wife.


Gallego did not directly address the allegations. When asked by an NBC News reporter, he responded, "I'm not going to engage in gossip."

The report has prompted questions from some critics about Gallego's judgment and whether a previous Senate Ethics Committee review examined all of the allegations surrounding his conduct.

One source quoted by the New York Post described the alleged relationships as part of what the source characterized as a broader "pattern of mistakes and missteps and judgment calls." The report also states that one of the women was in her 20s and significantly younger than Gallego at the time.


The allegations arrive after Gallego spent much of the past year distancing himself from two fellow Democrats who faced accusations of sexual misconduct. During the 2026 election cycle, Gallego publicly supported former Rep. Eric Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign and initially backed Graham Platner for a U.S. Senate seat before Platner withdrew following allegations against him.

After the accusations against Swalwell became public, Gallego condemned his former colleague, saying he had never witnessed the behavior being alleged.


"Eric Swalwell lied to all of us — lied to the most powerful people in this country — and they trusted him," Gallego said at the time. "Look, we socialized. We went out. But I never saw him engage in any of the predatory behavior, harassment, sexual assault or even like anything that."

Gallego also became the subject of an ethics complaint filed by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate several allegations involving the Arizona senator. Luna alleged she had heard from multiple women regarding what she described as inappropriate conduct, while her complaint also included campaign finance issues.


According to the New York Post, the relationships with the congressional staffers were not part of that ethics review. One unnamed source told the newspaper that investigators focused on the allegations specifically raised in Luna's complaint rather than broader questions about Gallego's personal relationships.

Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford (R-Okla.) has not publicly commented on the report.


The latest allegations also bring renewed attention to Gallego's personal history, which has occasionally drawn public attention. In late 2016, he filed for divorce from his first wife while she was pregnant with their child. He later married political consultant Sydney Barron after the two met in 2018.

While the reported relationships described by the New York Post are alleged to have been consensual and involved staffers who did not work directly for Gallego, the story has nevertheless generated political attention because of ongoing debates in Washington over workplace relationships and power dynamics involving elected officials.

Written by Arthur Higgens - July 17, 2026