MaddowBlog-Ethics probe makes matters vastly worse for Texas' Gonzales ahead of runoff race

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On Tuesday, the GOP congressman advanced to a runoff primary election. A day later, however, an ethics investigation he’s facing advanced, too.

Ethics probe makes matters vastly worse for Texas’ Gonzales ahead of runoff race - MS NOW

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— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-03-04T22:31:44.512Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/ethics-probe-makes-matters-vastly-worse-for-texas-gonzales-ahead-of-runoff-race

There was a very real possibility that scandal-plagued Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales’ career was going to be derailed on Tuesday. That didn’t happen, at least it hasn’t yet: The incumbent congressman received roughly 42% of the vote in his primary, trailing far-right internet personality Brandon Herrera’s 43%, but since neither candidate topped 50% support, they both advanced to a May runoff.

But while Gonzales might’ve been relieved by the results, the day after the primary delivered a fresh round of devastating news. For one thing, one of his own GOP congressional colleagues filed a censure resolution against the Texan. For another, this soon followed by related news about the ethics probe he’s facing. CNBC reported:

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

The committee said it would investigate whether Gonzales ‘engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office,’ or ‘discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.’

.....In theory, Donald Trump, who officially endorsed Gonzales, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana could intervene and show the congressman the door, but in light of the Republicans’ vanishingly small majority in the chamber, MS NOW reported last week that many party officials see Gonzales as effectively “untouchable” because his party can’t afford to see him step down.....

While these allegations against the Texas Republican have come up before, the Express-News reported that a second former aide to the congressman came forward to say Santos-Aviles told him about the relationship. That same aide (who asked not to be named by the Express-News, citing a fear of retaliation) provided a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she said she “had an affair with our boss.” (He shared the same evidence with The New York Times.)

Last week, a lawyer for Santos-Aviles’ husband disclosed additional sexually explicit text messages that the GOP congressman allegedly sent to his former aide. While MS NOW has not independently verified the authenticity of the texts, they were reviewed in detail by the Times, the Express-News, The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Politico and The Texas Tribune.

Gonzales, meanwhile, hasn’t said much about the allegations, though he recently accused his primary rival and Santos-Aviles’ husband of trying to blackmail him.

The primary runoff is in 12 weeks. Watch this spa

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1. House Ethics starts an investigative subcommittee to investigate Gonzales

Link to tweet

House Ethics starts an investigative subcommittee to investigate allegations that Rep. Tony Gonzales "may have 1) engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office; and/or (2) discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges"

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2. Washington Post-Rep. Gonzales faces ethics investigation over alleged affair with aide

The announcement ensures the controversy will continue to dog the Republican congressman as he heads into a primary runoff in Texas.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/04/congressman-gonzales-ethics-investigation-affair

The House Ethics Committee will investigate allegations that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) had an affair with a former staff member who later died after setting herself on fire, the committee said Wednesday, ensuring that the scandal that has dogged Gonzales through his bitter primary race will continue to factor heavily as he heads into a runoff.

An investigative subcommittee will look into allegations that Gonzales “engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office” and “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges,” Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) wrote in a letter Wednesday.

Under House rules, lawmakers are not permitted to engage in sexual relationships with staff members.

Gonzales, a married father of six, has been accused of having an improper relationship with a then-aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died in September after lighting herself on fire in her backyard. Her death was ruled a suicide.....

Under House rules, the Ethics Committee has up to 90 days to release the OCC’s report — unless it creates an investigative subcommittee, as it has this time, in which case it must release the OCC’s findings within a year. Members of the investigative subcommittee have not been selected yet, Guest said Wednesday, suggesting that findings of the investigation will not be made public very soon. There is no timeline for Ethics Committee investigations, which can take months.

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3. MaddowBlog-GOP's Gonzales reverses course, acknowledges affair with late staffer

In the recent past, Republican leaders said an affair with a staffer warranted a resignation. Does the GOP still care about these standards?

In the recent past, Republican leaders believed members who had extramarital affairs with staffers needed to resign.

As the Tony Gonzales scandal intensifies, the question for Speaker Mike Johnson is simple: Why does the GOP embrace lower and weaker standards now?
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— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-05T15:12:13.488Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/gops-gonzales-reverses-course-acknowledges-affair-with-late-staffer

One day after Rep. Tony Gonzales advanced to a May primary runoff, the Texas Republican finally acknowledged what many observers already assumed to be true. The Texas Tribune reported:

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, admitted Wednesday to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, after initially denying the allegation.

Speaking on conservative talk show host Joe Pags’ show the day after he was forced into a runoff in his primary, Gonzales called the affair a ‘mistake’ and a ‘lapse in judgment.’

The GOP representative added that he takes “full responsibility for those actions,” despite the fact that he spent months denying responsibility for those actions. Gonzales, a married father of six, went on to say that he’s “reconciled” with his wife.

The admission likely surprised no one. Indeed, the growing body of evidence that the lawmaker had an extramarital affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide of his who died by suicide last year, painted a rather brutal picture that made his earlier denials almost impossible to believe.......

In each of these instances, House Republican leaders didn’t simply leave matters to voters. They didn’t care that the members hadn’t been formally charged with any crimes. They didn’t punt concerns to the Ethics Committee. For all of their faults — and there were many — GOP leaders set standards and enforced them when members were caught up in humiliating scandals.

Years later, the questions for House Speaker Mike Johnson and his team are obvious: Do congressional Republicans still care about these standards? If not, why not?