House ethics panel investigates GOP Rep. Gonzales of Texas over affair allegations

By — Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press By — Stephen Groves, Associated Press Stephen Groves, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter House ethics panel investigates GOP Rep. Gonzales of Texas over affair allegations Politics Mar 4, 2026 6:41 PM EST WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Wednesday that it has opened an investigation of Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, over allegations that include having an affair with an aide. READ MORE: GOP Rep. Gonzales enters Texas primary fighting to keep his job after allegations of an affair The top Republican and Democratic members on the committee said in a joint statement that an investigative panel would look into whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee in his office and whether he discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Gonzales' office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The congressman, now in his third term, has said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters at the Capitol recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out. "What you've seen is not all the facts," Gonzales said. Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, he was forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 primary. The San Antonio Express-News reported that it had obtained text messages in which the former Gonzales staffer,...