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The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, over allegations that he had an affaire with a political aide.
Committee leaders announced Wednesday that they launched the investigation into whether Gonzales, a married father of six, engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.
Gonzales has said he has no plan to step down in the face of the accusations, saying there are more details to be released regarding the situation.
“What you’ve seen is not all the facts,” Gonzales told reporters last month.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is facing a House ethics investigation. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The three-term congressman argued last month that he was being “blackmailed” in connection with the case. Controversy first arose after the San Antonio Express-News reported obtained text messages in which the former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to a colleague that she had an affair with the lawmaker.
Santos-Aviles later died after setting herself on fire.
Gonzales took to social media last month and accused Santos-Aviles’ husband of “blackmail,” sharing a partial screenshot of an email from the widower and claiming he was seeking money.
“I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED,” Gonzales wrote in a Feb. 19 post on X. “Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death.”
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN ACCUSED OF AFFAIR WITH LATE AIDE TO FACE RUNOFF ELECTION
Left: Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is seen in the U.S. Capitol before the House voted to keep the government funded into March, on Thursday, January 18, 2024; Right: Regina Santos Aviles (Left: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Right: Regina Santos Aviles on Facebook)
In the email posted by Gonzales, attorney Robert Barrera discussed a possible lawsuit against the lawmaker and a potential settlement with a nondisclosure agreement. The email says that the maximum recoverable amount is $300,000.
Barrera denied he was trying to blackmail Gonzales.
“It is a desperate attempt to make him look again like a political victim,” Barrera told The Associated Press last month. “There’s no blackmail here. I mean, it’s just ridiculous allegations.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, has accused a deceased staffer’s husband of “blackmail.” ((Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))
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According to Barrera, the email that Gonzales posted online was part of back-and-forth discussions he had been having with the lawmaker’s attorney after Aviles decided he wanted to recover damages through a potential lawsuit on behalf of his wife under the Congressional Accountability Act.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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