The implosion of the political career of Eric Swalwell, following 13 years in Congress, took only three days, and as of Monday afternoon he had announced his resignation from Congress.

Swalwell, who was looking to be the favorite to become the next governor of California, was accused by a former staffer of sexual assault Friday in a story broken by the SF Chronicle, and this was followed by loud calls for him to both drop out of the governor's race and resign his seat in Congress. Swalwell suspended his campaign as of Sunday evening, and announced his resignation from Congress less than 24 hours later.

He writes, in a statement, "I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I made in my past." But, he continued, "I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me," referring to the former staffer's allegations of assault," and said, "I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."

"I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members," his statement continued. "Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress."

On Monday, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee announced it was launching an investigation into Swalwell, and Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida introduced a resolution to expel Swalwell immediately, ahead of any investigation.

Swalwell had been shedding allies left and right in the last 72 hours, and as CBS News notes, his colleague and friend Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona said publicly Monday that Swalwell was "no longer fit" to serve in Congress. And, he added, "I trusted someone who I believed was a friend, but it is now clear that he is not the person I thought I knew."

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the expulsion effort against Swalwell was just the latest in a series of similar efforts in the House, with one other targeting a Democrat and two targeting Republicans.

One of those was focused on Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas, who was accused of coercing a young staffer into a sexual relationship — and that staffer later took her own life. Gonzales also announced his intention to resign from Congress on Monday, as the Times reports.

The chain reaction, largely spurred by the accusations against Swalwell, is likely to impact the fates of Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick [D-Florida], who stands accused in an embezzlement scheme involving campaign funds; and Rep. Cory Mills [R-Florida], who has been accused of an assault on a woman, and whose former girlfriend has accused him of threatening her with revenge porn.

As the Times notes, "In the 237-year history of the US House of Representatives, only six lawmakers have been expelled by a vote of their peers. Three of them were slave-owning supporters of the Confederacy, two were convicted felons, and one was the serial fabulist George Santos."

The timeline for Swalwell's resignation remains unclear, but he said in his statement he would work with staff in the coming days to make sure the needs of his district are met.

Now, instead of facing a primary fight in the governor's race, Swalwell will be replaced in a special election in Alameda County that no one saw coming, likely later this year. And Swalwell is now under investigation in New York and in Alameda County for possible criminal charges.

Previously: Eric Swalwell Suspends Campaign For Governor, Continues to Deny Assault Allegations

Top image: Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) visits "The Story With Martha MacCallum" at Fox News Channel Studios on July 22, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)