Rep. Tony Gonzalez admitted to having a sexual relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide, just hours after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into the Texas Republican.“I made a mistake, I had a lapse in judgment and a lack of confidence, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzalez said in an interview with conservative talk show host Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo published Wednesday, March 4. “Since then, I have reconciled with my wife, Angel. I asked God to forgive me, and He did. And my faith remains as strong as ever.”Earlier Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee voted to investigate Gonzalez to determine whether he “engaged in sexual misconduct with an employee of a congressional office; and/or unfairly discriminated by granting special favors or privileges.” Under the House Official Code of Conduct, relationships between members of Congress and their staff are prohibited. According to People magazine, Gonzalez told Pagliarulo that he “looks forward” to the ethics committee’s investigation.The interview came one day after the Texas primary. Gonzalez, 45, failed to secure 50 percent of the vote in his House district on Tuesday, March 3, to clinch the Republican nomination, so he will run in a runoff election on May 26 against gun activist Brandon Herrera. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in November.On February 17, the San Antonio Express-News reported that Santos-Aviles told a former staff member at Gonzalez’s district office about her 2024 affair with Gonzalez, and that after her husband learned of the relationship, Santos-Aviles fell into depression. The unnamed source showed the media screenshots of text messages Santos-Aviles allegedly sent admitting to “having an affair with our boss.”People also received text messages Gonzalez allegedly sent to Santos-Aviles on May 9, 2024, in which he asked her to “send me a sexy photo.” Santos-Avilez later appeared to tell Gonzalez, “I just don’t like taking pictures of myself,” to which he allegedly replied, “I’m a visual person.”Gonzalez said in an interview with Pagliarulo that Santos-Aviles’ death “shocked everyone.”“There are some reports that she’s not doing her job well,” the congressman said. “It is [the] Quite the opposite. She excels at her job. “Pagliarulo also asked Gonzalez if the alleged leaked text messages were true.“I’ll let the investigation unfold and share all the different details,” he responded. “I would say there’s a lot that’s not revealed about this story.”While some Republicans have called for Gonzalez to resign, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters last week that Gonzalez is entitled to due process.“As in every case like this, you have to let the investigation proceed and let all the facts come out,” Johnson said, according to NPR. “If an accusation against something is going to be a litmus test for whether someone can continue to serve in the House, a lot of people are going to have to resign or be removed from office or expelled from Congress.”“This is my third runoff in four cycles,” Gonzalez told CNN after the investigation was announced. “We’re going to win this runoff, too.”
