Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) announced on April 13 that he would file for retirement after a second staff member came forward claiming that she received sexually explicit text messages while working for the married congressman.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales posted on X on April 13. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
An investigation into allegations against Gonzales was launched last month by the House Ethics Committee. Gonzales dropped out of his primary runoff following the committee’s decision.
The surprise announcement came hours after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced that he would resign from his seat in the House after allegations of sexual assault surfaced last week.
Allegations from the staffer last week against Gonzales prompted a bipartisan group of lawmakers to call for him to be expelled.
Text messages first reported by the San Antonio Express-News allegedly show Gonzales repeatedly asking for sex and nude photos. The former campaign staffer told NBC News she was coming forward now because she believed Gonzales should be held accountable for his past actions.
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old aide, died by suicide in 2025 after setting herself on fire in her backyard in Uvalde, according to the Bexar County, Texas, medical examiner’s office. Santos-Aviles was the director of Gonzales’ Uvalde regional district office, where she had worked since 2021.
U.S. House rules prohibit romantic relationships between members of Congress and their staff members. Santos-Aviles and Gonzales were married at the time of the alleged relationship.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales told Joe Pags on the “Unshaken and Unafraid with Joe Pags” in a March 4 interview.
GOP leadership had called for him to abandon his campaign. Gonzales, of San Antonio, was first elected in 2020 after narrowly winning his Republican primary runoff.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said in a joint statement last month.
The congressman had previously said he decided to serve out his term in Congress.
Gonzales was raised by his grandparents and served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and deploying multiple times in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He lives in San Antonio with his wife Angel and their six children.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Gonzales’ office for comment.
