When Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold abruptly resigned and erased his Twitter account earlier this month, observers wondered, “Why now?” After all, the Republican congressman had already announced that he would retire without running for re-election in the wake of an investigation into the $84,000 in taxpayer money that he used to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit.

But instead of facing the House Ethics Committee’s findings, Farenthold resigned on April 6 after the committee tipped Farenthold off to the fact that it was about to rule against him, the office of California Democrat Rep. Jackie Speier confirmed to VICE News Tuesday. The committee was also investigating Farenthold over allegations that he’d used official resources like money and members of his congressional staff in his re-election campaign and told the committee false or misleading statements.

Farenthold denied engaging in “any improper conduct,” but pledged in December to pay Americans back for the $84,000. He never did so.

And without any constituents to answer to, it’s unclear if Farenthold ever will.

The House Ethics Committee didn’t immediately return a VICE News request for comment, but declined to comment to the Huffington Post, which first reported the reason behind Farenthold’s sudden resignation.

In a statement issued after Farenthold’s resignation, the committee said it informed Farenthold on March 30 that it intended to vote on a “Statement of Alleged Violation” on April 11. Farenthold resigned five days before that vote, stripping the House Ethics Committee of its jurisdiction over him.

“We note Rep. Farenthold publicly promised to reimburse the U.S. Treasury for $84,000 in funds paid to settle the lawsuit brought against him for claims of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation,” Indiana Republican Rep. Susan Brooks and Democratic Florida Rep. Ted Deutch, the House Ethics Committee’s leaders, said in the statement. “We encourage him in the strongest possible terms to uphold that promise.”

Speier is not a member of the House Ethics Committee, but has been an outspoken advocate for reforming the way Congress deals with accusations of sexual harassment and assault. Last week, Speier tweeted her support for a letter signed by 1,300 former congressional staffers, demanding that Congress consider legislation to improve transparency, accountability, and safety when it comes to sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.