Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales to retire from Congress after House opens inquiry into affair with former staffer

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsTexas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales to retire from Congress after House opens inquiry into affair with former stafferThe embattled congressman admitted in March after months of allegations that he‘d had an inappropriate relationship with an aide who later died by suicide Io Dodds in San Francisco Tuesday 14 April 2026 00:28 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarks Close popoverCloseTexas congressman defends 'states' rights' after ruling to pull approval for abortion drugSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Embattled Texas congressman Tony Gonzales has announced he will retire from Congress after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his affair with a former staffer. “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office,” the Texas Republican said on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening. “It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.” It comes less than an hour after California Democrat Eric Swalwell also announced his resignation following allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer and made other unwanted sexual advances toward women. Gonzales, 45, finally admitted in March after months of allegations that he had had an inappropriate relationship with Regina Santos-Aviles, a married woman who worked in his Uvalde office. Gonzales, a former U.S. Navy cryptographer from San Antonio, has six children with his wife Angel (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Santos-Aviles died by suicide at her home in September 2025, although Gonzales has said he had “absolutely nothing to do” with the former staffer’s death. Gonzales previously said he would not stand for reelection this year, while stopping short of resigning from Congress. But his position looked increasingly untenable as Republicans as well as Democrats called for his removal, with an expulsion vote scheduled for Tuesday. Last week, another former aide came forward to accuse him of bombarding her with "hundreds" of sexually explicit text messages, characterizing his behavior as "sexual bullying". In an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, Gonzales admitted he "made a mistake" and suffered "a lapse in judgment" while denying any responsibility for Santos-Aviles' suicide. Swalwell, meanwhile, has fiercely denied the allegations against him, saying it was wrong to expell him from Congress "without due process." Nevertheless, he said he would resign so as not to be "distracted" from his duties. "Reps. Gonzales and Swalwell are not fit to serve. They must resign. If they do not, I will vote to expel them," said Teresa Leger Fernández, a New Mexico representative who leads the Democratic Women's Caucus. Republicans too had criticized Gonzales, with majority whip Tom Emmer asking him to withdraw from the running while fellow Texas representative Monica De La Cruz called his actions "unacceptable." The Independent has reached out to Gonzales’ office for comment. More aboutRepublicanCongressresignationTexassexual misconductHouse Ethics CommitteeHouse of RepresentativesRepublicansGOPJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies CommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next