Congressman Tony Gonzalez admits extramarital affair and resigns from Congress
Congressman Tony Gonzalez announced he was resigning from Congress after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later self-immolated.
Texas Congressman Tony Gonzalez has announced he is resigning from Congress after admitting to having an affair with a former staffer who self-immolated.
“There is a season for everything, and God has a plan for all of us. Tomorrow, when Congress reconvenes, I will tender my resignation,” Gonzalez wrote in an April 13 post for X magazine.
According to a report in the El Paso Times, part of the USA TODAY network, Gonzalez initially denied the allegations and claimed the report was an attempt at extortion. Gonzalez appeared on the Joe Pags podcast on March 4 and admitted to the affair, saying, “I made a mistake.”
Gonzalez dropped his bid for re-election in March after House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leaders asked him to withdraw from a May runoff for the party’s nomination against gun activist Brandon Herrera.
The announcement came on the same day that Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is facing accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, also announced he would withdraw from the House. The California Democratic Party said the accusations are “completely false.”
What are the charges against Tony Gonzalez?
Gonzalez has been embroiled in controversy over rumors that he had an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who has since passed away.
In February, NBC News reported that Gonzalez sent multiple sexually explicit emails in May 2024 to Santos Aviles, who died in September 2025. The San Antonio Express-News also reported that Santos Aviles admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a former co-worker in a text message.
“I made a mistake in judgment and lacked faith. I take full responsibility for my actions,” Gonzalez said on the podcast. “I asked God for forgiveness and He granted it. My faith is as strong as ever.”
House reacts to Gonzalez’s resignation
House members on both sides of the aisle approved Gonzalez’s resignation on social media.
New Mexico Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez threatened to bring up an expulsion vote against Gonzalez after saying on X shortly after Swalwell’s resignation that “any member of Congress who sexually harasses or abuses a staff member needs to leave.”
“Public outrage + solutions = accountability for sexual abuse of women,” she added after Gonzalez’s announcement.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said on social media that Gonzalez’s resignation was “the right thing to do.”
After Gonzalez’s announcement, Luna wrote to X: “This week we succeeded in draining some of the quagmire with the resignation of two highly corrupt members of Congress.”
Former Congressman George Santos, whose sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump last year, had harsh words for Gonzalez.
“Okay, you asshole!” Santos said in an April 13 post on the X show. “May you never find peace in the face of what you did to that poor woman.”
This story has been updated with new information
