WASHINGTON — The Home Ethics Committee stated Wednesday it should open an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who’s accused of getting had an affair with a staffer earlier than she died by suicide final yr.
Gonzales exchanged sexual texts in 2024 together with his then-aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, based on messages beforehand obtained by NBC Information and verified by her widower, Adrian Aviles. Gonzales initially denied having had an affair with Santos-Aviles and refused to handle the substance of the allegations after the texts got here to gentle.
It’s towards Home guidelines for lawmakers to interact in relationships with their workers members.
Later Wednesday, Gonzales appeared to acknowledge the affair when he was requested on the “Joe Pags Present” podcast whether or not he had a relationship “with this younger girl who was working in your workplace.”
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment. And there was an absence of religion, and I take full duty for these actions,” Gonzales stated, including that he has “reconciled” together with his spouse.
The Ethics Committee’s chair and rating member stated in a press release Wednesday, “Pursuant to the Committee’s motion, at the moment, the Investigative Subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to find out whether or not Consultant Tony Gonzales violated the Code of Official Conduct or any legislation, rule, regulation, or different relevant normal of conduct within the efficiency of his duties or the discharge of his tasks,” with respect to allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct or engaged in favoritism.
Gonzales responded to the announcement, “I welcome the chance to current all of the info to the committee.”
Within the podcast interview, he stated, “I respect the chance to have the ability to present all of the info and all the main points that result in precisely what occurred in your complete scenario.”
The bipartisan panel stated it should choose and announce which lawmakers will serve on the investigatory subcommittee.
Along with the ethics probe, the Workplace of Congressional Conduct carried out an inquiry into Gonzales, the outcomes of which can be delivered to the Ethics Committee on Wednesday. The workplace had been prohibited from sending the report back to the committee earlier as a result of it was accomplished inside 60 days of the Texas main Gonzales participated in Tuesday.
Gonzales did not earn 50% of the vote in that race, forcing him right into a runoff towards Republican challenger Brandon Herrera. Herrera narrowly led Gonzales within the preliminary main vote Wednesday. Gonzales beat Herrera by only some hundred votes in an analogous 2024 runoff.
It’s not clear whether or not the Ethics Committee’s investigation will wrap up earlier than the runoff, scheduled for Could 26. The committee’s guidelines say that it should deal with an Workplace of Congressional Conduct report inside 45 days of receipt however that it could postpone reporting if it falls throughout the 60-day window earlier than a pertinent election.
A proper investigation into Gonzales doesn’t essentially imply the committee’s remaining report can be made public. The committee has jurisdiction solely over sitting members of Congress, so if Gonzales resigns or is voted out of workplace earlier than the report is full, the investigation may come to a halt.
A number of of Gonzales’ Republican colleagues have urged him to resign or finish his marketing campaign, together with Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Brandon Gill of Texas. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida referred to as the textual content messages “disgusting” however has stopped wanting calling for his resignation.
Mace pressured a ground vote Wednesday on a decision that might direct the Ethics Committee to make public all experiences on allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment by congressional lawmakers or aides. The Home voted to refer Mace’s decision to committee, successfully killing it.
