Calls for Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign are growing after he was accused of having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Regina Santos-Aviles served as Gonzales’s regional district director. She set herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home in September, passing away hours later at a San Antonio hospital.
Several Republicans have publicly called for Gonzales’ resignation, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Brandon Gill of Texas.
Massie is also calling for President Donald Trump to revoke his endorsement of Gonzales.
GOP lawmakers call on Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign amid affair allegations
The lawmakers said harassment has no place in the legislature.
Mace has filed a resolution to release all sexual harassment violations of members of Congress publicly.
In a social media video, Mace said, “You can sexually harass your employees on the Hill, and there is literally no accountability, no responsibility, no transparency. This stuff goes on all the time.”
“The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff. As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives,” Luna posted on X.
On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson did not call on Gonzales to resign, but said the allegations are serious and that he has told Gonzales to address them with constituents.
“There are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously, and I’ve told him he’s got to address that with his constituents and, and he’s in the process of doing that,” Johnson told CNN. “It is my understanding there’s an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and has been going for some time, and the Office of Congressional Conduct has also, it’s been reported, they’ve been looking at it, and all of that was news to me. But I think as in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out.”
As the March 3 primary approaches, it remains unclear how much the allegations will affect voters. Gonzales has denied the affair and said he is being blackmailed.
Text messages obtained by News 4 and Fox SA show Gonzales sent explicit messages to the staffer, including asking for a “sexy pic.”
RELATED: ‘This is too far’: Texts show late-night exchanges between Rep. Gonzales, staffer
Johnson previously endorsed Gonzales in the race for Texas’s 23rd District, where Gonzales is set to face YouTuber Brandon Herrera in a GOP primary rematch. Gonzales won by about 350 votes in the same matchup in 2024.
“We’ll see how it develops,” Johnson said.
Gonzales denied the affair late last year, saying the rumors were untrue.
His office provided this statement last week:
Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place. Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before. It’s shameful that Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started. I am not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.
House ethics rules prohibit members from having sexual relationships with staff members and also prohibit harassment.