The Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Controversial Tony Gonzales
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Wednesday it will open an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who is accused of having an affair with a staffer before he committed suicide last year.
Gonzales exchanged sex texts in 2024 with his assistant at the time, Regina Santos-Aviles, according to text messages obtained by NBC News and previously confirmed by his widow, Adrian Aviles. Gonzales initially denied having an affair with Santos-Aviles and refused to talk about the allegations after the documents surfaced.
It is against House rules for lawmakers to engage in relationships with their staff.
Later Wednesday, Gonzales appeared to acknowledge the issue when asked on the “Joe Pags Show” podcast if he had a relationship with “this lady who worked in your office.”
“I made a mistake, and I failed in judgment. And there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” said Gonzales, adding that he has “reconciled” with his wife.
The chairman of the Ethics Committee and a ranking member in a statement on Wednesday, “Following the action of the Committee, at this time, the Investigative Subcommittee will have the power to determine that representative Tony Gonzales violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulations, or other applicable standard of conduct when performing his duties in honoring his allegations or fulfilling his sexual obligations,” he made a choice.
Gonzales responded to the announcement, “I welcome the opportunity to present all the facts to the committee.”
In a podcast interview, he said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to provide all the facts and all the details leading up to what happened in this whole situation.”
The bipartisan panel said it will select and announce which lawmakers will serve on the investigative subcommittee.
In addition to the ethics investigation, the Office of Congressional Ethics conducted an investigation into Gonzales, the results of which will be presented to the Ethics Committee on Wednesday. The office was prohibited from sending the report to the committee early because it was completed within 60 days of the Gonzales, Texas elementary school participating on Tuesday.
Gonzales failed to win 50% of the vote in the race, forcing him into a runoff against Republican Brandon Herrera. Herrera narrowly led Gonzales in early voting on Wednesday. Gonzalez defeated Herrera by only a few hundred votes in the same 2024 contest.
It is not yet clear whether the Ethics Committee’s investigation will be completed before the start of this program, which is scheduled to take place on May 26. The rules of this committee state that it must speak to the report of the Office of Congressional Conduct within 45 days of receiving it, but it may postpone the report if 60 days pass before the relevant election.
The official investigation into Gonzales does not mean that the committee’s final report will be made public. The committee has jurisdiction only over sitting members of Congress, so if Gonzales resigns or is voted out of office before the report is completed, the investigation could stop.
A number of Gonzales’ other Republican colleagues have urged him to withdraw or shut down his campaign, including Reps. Lauren Boebert from Colorado, Nancy Mace from South Carolina and Brandon Gill from Texas. Florida attorney Anna Paulina Luna called the messages “disgusting” but stopped short of calling for him to resign.
Gonzales said last month that he will not resign because of these allegations.
Mace forced a vote down Wednesday on a resolution that would order the Ethics Committee to make public all reports of alleged sexual misconduct or harassment by lawmakers or congressional aides. The House voted to refer Mace’s decision to a committee, and killed it.
