Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales resigned from Congress on Tuesday after admitting to an affair with a staff member who late died by self immolation.
Pressure had been mounting against the Republican lawmaker after sexual misconduct allegations against another congressman, Democrat Eric Swalwell of California, became public over the weekend.
As criticism of Swalwell swirled in the wake of the revelations, lawmakers opened an ethics investigation and began discussing taking action to oust him and Gonzales from Congress.
To avoid being expelled, they submitted their resignations, effective on Tuesday. The move allows them to retain pension benefits after their departure.
Gonzales had said last month that he would not run for re-election in November, but faced pressure to leave sooner as more details emerged about his alleged wrongdoing and he faced a congressional ethics investigation.
