House ethics committee to probe major sex scandal involving GOP congressman

The House Committee on Ethics announced that it had opened an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX).

In a statement on Wednesday, Committee chair Michael Guest (R-MS) said that "the Investigative Subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to determine whether Representative Tony Gonzales violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he 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."

Members serving on the investigative committee would be announced at a later time, Guest noted.

Gonzales (R-TX) became embroiled in a major sex scandal after it was revealed he had engaged in an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, a congressional aide who ran his district office in Uvalde. Both Gonzales and Santos-Aviles were married at the time the affair occurred. In May 2024, Santos-Aviles' estranged husband discovered sexually explicit text messages between his wife and the congressman, and after the affair was discovered, staff allegedly retaliated by isolating Santos-Aviles from her colleagues.

Santos-Aviles died by self-immolation in September 2025, with her husband later contending her death was a "cry for help" rather than suicide. NBC News subsequently obtained explicit text messages in which Gonzales asked Santos-Aviles for "sexy pics," inquired about her "favorite position," and referenced various sex acts—messages that prompted multiple Republican colleagues, including Reps. Lauren Boebert and Brandon Gill, to ultimately call for his resignation. Speaker Mike Johnson took a cautious stance, saying the allegations were "very serious" while allowing investigations to play out, but Gonzales remained defiant, refusing to step down and claiming that constituents have not seen "all the facts."