Mike Johnson calls on Tony Gonzales to drop out after affair with staffer
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Rep. Tony Gonzales speaks during a news conference on Feb. 1, 2023. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his House GOP leadership team called on Rep. Tony Gonzales to drop out of his race Thursday after Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a former staffer.
Why it matters: Relationships between members of Congress and their staff are prohibited under the House Code of Official Conduct.
- Gonzales (R-Texas) had denied the affair for months, but Wednesday night said on the "Unshaken and Unafraid with Joe Pags" YouTube show that he did engage in a relationship with his staffer.
- "Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election," Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said in a statement Thursday.
- The new statement comes as Gonzales heads into a high-stakes primary runoff and faces growing calls from his colleagues to step aside.
State of play: The House Ethics Committee formally launched an investigation into Gonzales the morning after his primary election.
- Johnson and his fellow leaders on Thursday urged the committee to act "expeditiously."
- "Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues," the lawmakers added.
Between the lines: If Gonzales were to resign, Johnson's razor-thin majority would become even smaller, making it increasingly difficult to pass party-line bills.
- The leaders notably did not call on Gonzales to resign, but instead to withdraw from his reelection efforts.
- Johnson described Gonzales' resignation as a political "death penalty" to reporters Thursday afternoon.
Catch up quick: Gonzales has been under intensifying scrutiny since the San Antonio Express-News reported that he had an affair with his former regional director, Regina Santos-Aviles.
- Santos-Aviles died last year after setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home.
- Axios obtained copies of text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles, from her husband, Adrian Aviles, who shared them in a message with his attorney copied on it.
- In one message from May 2024, Gonzales asked Santos-Aviles for a "sexy pic." Santos-Aviles later replied, "this is too far tony."
The big picture: A growing number of GOP lawmakers have called on Gonzales to resign from office immediately.
- Johnson, who had initially endorsed Gonzales, told reporters last week it was "too early for anybody to prejudge any of that" when asked if he still supported Gonzales.
- President Trump has not pulled his endorsement of Gonzales.
The intrigue: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who is leading the charge to censure Gonzales, told Axios she has seen what she describes as photo evidence of Gonzales' affair.
- Luna recently discussed the existence and potential release of the photos with Johnson, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
- Luna said she does not plan on releasing the photos herself and declined to further describe them.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
