Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said Tuesday that he will not heed calls from fellow Republicans to resign following allegations he had an affair with a married staffer who later died by suicide.
"I'm not going to resign," Gonzales said on Capitol Hill, according to the San Antonio station KSAT-TV. "I work every day for the people of Texas, and there will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out.
"What you have seen is not all the facts."
When asked whether he had an extramarital affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, his regional district director, he said, "What you have seen is not all the facts, and there will be ample time to all of that to come out."
Pressed further about whether his constituents want answers, Gonzales said: "My constituents are not here in D.C.
"My constituents are back home in Texas."
Five House Republicans — Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — have called for Gonzales to resign.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said earlier Tuesday he planned to meet with Gonzales. Asked several times in a Capitol Hill hallway whether Gonzales should run for reelection under the circumstances, he replied, according to Politico, "I haven't met with him yet."
NBC News reported last week that the Office of Congressional Conduct concluded an investigation into the alleged affair with Santos-Aviles, who died in September after setting herself on fire.
Under Office of Congressional Conduct rules, the board cannot transmit a referral to the House Ethics Committee within 60 days of a federal, state, or local election in which the subject is a candidate.
Texas' primary elections are set for March 3.
In the weeks after Santos-Aviles' death last year, Gonzales, 45, a married father of six, denied allegations that they had an affair.
The allegation resurfaced last week when Santos-Aviles' widower, Adrian Aviles, publicly accused Gonzales of having an affair with his wife.
Gonzales has not directly addressed the substance of the claim.
In a statement reported by NBC News, Gonzales framed the allegation as a politically motivated primary-season attack by his most prominent challenger, Brandon Herrera. He also accused the widower and his attorney of attempting to blackmail him.
"It's shameful that Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started," Gonzales said last week.
"I am not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans."
Gonzales wrote Saturday on X that he has never faced a "single formal complaint" in his six years in Congress, and he described how "coordinated political attacks" are hitting him right before the primary.
Gonzales, who has represented Texas' 23rd Congressional District since 2021, faces a competitive Republican primary on March 3.
In the 2024 GOP primary, he narrowly defeated Herrera in a runoff, 50.6% to 49.4%. In the general election, Gonzales defeated Democrat Santos Limon, 62.3% to 37.7%.
His GOP primary opponents this year are Herrera, Marine Corps veteran Keith Marton, and attorney Francisco Canseco.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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