OAN Staff Lillian Mann and Brooke Mallory
6:57 PM – Monday, April 13, 2026
Texas GOP Representative Tony Gonzales announced his resignation from Congress on Monday, following his admission of a past affair with a staff member. This follows the same-day resignation of Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell.
The announcement came just hours after Swalwell (D-Calif.) resigned amid separate allegations of sexual misconduct.
Gonzales stated he will not seek reelection, a decision that follows intense pressure from House Republican leadership and the launch of a House Ethics Committee investigation.
According to House Ethics rules, lawmakers are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual relationships with any House employee under their direct supervision. The situation is further marked by the tragic passing of the female staff member involved, who reportedly died by suicide after lighting herself on fire, prior to the representative’s admission.
“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. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas,” Gonzales said on Monday.
In a joint statement, the leading Republican and Democrat members of the House Ethics Committee announced that an investigative subcommittee will examine allegations of sexual misconduct involving Gonzales and a now-deceased staff member, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.
The inquiry will specifically focus on whether the representative engaged in unfair discrimination by granting the employee special favors or privileges.
Gonzales shared that he has since reconciled with his wife, while adding that he has sought divine forgiveness from God as well. He also expressed a desire to move forward with the Ethics Committee investigation to address the matter formally.
As lawmakers return from a two-week recess, pressure is mounting for Congress to take a firmer stand against misconduct. On social media, some members have even suggested a bipartisan “expulsion trade-off,” implying a strategic balance where both parties hold their own members accountable to maintain political parity.
Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) later declared that both Gonzales and Swalwell “are not fit to serve in Congress given their sexual transgressions against women who work for them.”
“There’s already been a resolution announced to expel Swalwell that I will support. I will introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Gonzales,” Fernandez said.
Before his admission, Gonzales had accused the staffer’s widower of attempting to “blackmail” him for $300,000 in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). However, he eventually admitted to the affair after screenshots of text messages were made public.
The simultaneous departures of Representatives Gonzales and Swalwell are being widely described as a comprehensive “bipartisan house cleaning” aimed at restoring institutional integrity. These efforts are rooted in a sense of strategic parity, as leaders from both sides of the aisle pressured the members to resign to avoid the spectacle of messy, televised expulsion votes.
According to analysts, by ensuring that one prominent member from each party stepped down, congressional leadership successfully navigated the fallout while avoiding the typical accusations of a “partisan witch hunt.” Other lawmakers, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), are reportedly eyeing further expulsions.
Meanwhile, the scrutiny has now shifted toward Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) regarding her financial indictments, and Representative Cory Mills (R-Fla.) over alleged violations of House gift rules — further suggesting that this period of accountability may only be the beginning.
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