Speaker Mike Johnson doesn't think members of Congress should be romantically involved with House staffers — even if the staffers don't work for them.
Johnson weighed in during a news conference Tuesday on what has been a hotly debated topic on Capitol Hill: Should members of Congress be allowed to pursue relationships with staffers outside of their own offices? Johnson said it's an easy call for him: They should not.
"I can't believe it would be acceptable in any situation," Johnson said of lawmakers dating any staffers in the House. "I think we should as a bare minimum in Congress have rules and traditions that are adhered to in corporate America, so that is an easy one for me."
Johnson's comments come as efforts to reduce harassment on Capitol Hill are ramping up and as a bipartisan working group is targeting reforms aimed at making Congress a safer and more professional environment for women.
The issue of whether members should be allowed to date staffers outside their office has been at the center of a debate about how to stamp out **** ual harassment on the Hill. Many members argued in the days after the resignations of Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales that lawmakers should be barred from any **** ual relationships with House staff — not just those who worked for them.

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