House Republican faces ethics investigation over affair allegations

The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, over allegations that he had an affair with a political aide.

Committee leaders announced Wednesday that they launched the investigation into whether Gonzales, a married father of six, engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.

Gonzales has said he has no plan to step down in the face of the accusations, saying there are more details to be released regarding the situation.

"What you’ve seen is not all the facts," Gonzales told reporters last month.

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The three-term congressman argued last month that he was being "blackmailed" in connection with the case. Controversy first arose after the San Antonio Express-News reported they obtained text messages in which the former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to a colleague that she had an affair with the lawmaker.

Santos-Aviles later died after setting herself on fire.

Gonzales took to social media last month and accused Santos-Aviles' husband of "blackmail," sharing a partial screenshot of an email from the widower and claiming he was seeking money.

"I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED," Gonzales wrote in a Feb. 19 post on X. "Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death."

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In the email posted by Gonzales, attorney Robert Barrera discussed a possible lawsuit against the lawmaker and a potential settlement with a nondisclosure agreement. The email says that the maximum recoverable amount is $300,000.

Barrera denied he was trying to blackmail Gonzales.

"It is a desperate attempt to make him look again like a political victim," Barrera told The Associated Press last month. "There’s no blackmail here. I mean, it’s just ridiculous allegations."

According to Barrera, the email that Gonzales posted online was part of back-and-forth discussions he had been having with the lawmaker’s attorney after Aviles decided he wanted to recover damages through a potential lawsuit on behalf of his wife under the Congressional Accountability Act.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.