Rep. Gonzales will face ethics panel probe for ‘sexual misconduct’

The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday that it will launch an investigation into Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who has come under fire for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a staffer who died by suicide last year.

The committee said it would investigate whether Gonzales “sexually harassed a person working in his congressional office” or “unfairly discriminated against him by granting special privileges or privileges.”

Gonzales has denied an affair with former assistant Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in September 2025. Several Republicans called on Gonzales to resign, but he said he would. stay in office.

The announcement of the investigation came a day after the primary elections in Texas. Gonzales, who is running for re-election, will advance to a runoff in May. He will face Brandon Herrera, who challenges Gonzales from the right.

Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, who is running for Gonzales’ seat, won her party’s primary on Tuesday and qualified for the November general election. The county is located in southwestern Texas, on the Mexican border. Voters there reliably vote Republican.

Pressure has been mounting around Gonzales for weeks as additional details begin to emerge about his relationship with Santos-Aviles, who was married at the time of his death.

In February, NBC News reported It was based on obtained texts between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales, in which the deputies allegedly texted his then-employee to “send me sexy pics.” Santos-Aviles’ widow, Adrian Aviles, called Gonzales “predatory.” Interview with CNN just weeks before the primaries.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. razor-thin parliamentary majorityGonzales called the allegations against him “very serious” but argued that he was entitled to due process.

Gonzales did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.