Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales finally acknowledged on Wednesday that he had an affair with one of his aides who later died by suicide, a rare admission of improper behavior by a sitting lawmaker.
Gonzales’ admission — which opens the embattled Republican lawmaker up to serious political and ethical repercussions — is also a big problem for House GOP leaders and their razor-thin majority.
During an interview on a conservative talk show, Gonzales said he “made a mistake” and had a “lapse in judgement and there was a lack of faith.”
“And I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales added.
But the House’s Code of Official Conduct is clear that lawmakers “may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House who works under the supervision of the Member.”
The House Ethics Committee formally announced on Wednesday that it had begun an investigation into Gonzales over his relationship with his former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles. Santos-Aviles died by suicide in September 2025.
Gonzales — who is married with six kids — insisted that he’s looking forward to the investigation because there is more to the story than has come out already.
Yet much of this is complicated by the fact that Gonzales is now in a May 26 runoff election with Brandon Herrera.
Another dynamic to watch is how Speaker Mike Johnson reacts. Did Gonzales deny to Johnson that he had the relationship with his staffer? And now that he has admitted it, does Johnson believe it’s proper for Gonzales to stay in the House?
The members of the special investigative subcommittee conducting the Gonzales probe haven’t been named yet, and election-year scheduling issues will make the case more difficult to conduct.
But Gonzales’ own admission Wednesday night on the Joe Pags’ show can be used as evidence, as can the comments from and materials released by Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’ husband. Aviles told the San Antonio Express-News last month that he discovered the alleged affair in May and confronted his wife over it.
The three-term GOP lawmaker also reportedly retaliated against Santos-Aviles over the affair and sought “sexy pics” from her.
Gonzales’ other problems. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has already teed up two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first would simply censure the Texas Republican. The second would strip Gonzales of his seats on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees.
House Republicans involved in pushing the measures say they want to see if Gonzales bows out of the runoff and forgoes reelection before going to the floor. If he doesn’t, Republicans will move against Gonzales.
