Rep. Tony Gonzales said he will resign from Congress ahead of a potential expulsion vote, after an ethics investigation tied to a relationship with a staff member and bipartisan calls for him to step down. He said he will file his retirement when the House returns Tuesday.
Ethics probe ends in resignation
The Texas Republican had already said he would not seek reelection after acknowledging a relationship with a staff member in his office. House rules bar sexual relationships between lawmakers and employees under their supervision.
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into the relationship, and lawmakers were preparing to force an expulsion vote later this week if Gonzales stayed.
Pressure to resign spread across parties
Gonzales announced the decision in a post on X, writing that he would “file my retirement from office” and calling it a privilege to represent his district.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” he wrote.
Gonzales did not say when his resignation would take effect.
His announcement landed within an hour after Rep. Eric Swalwell said he also planned to leave Congress over separate allegations involving staff relationships.
CNN reports Democrats had begun to increasingly support an expulsion vote for Swalwell, too.
Case includes staff relationship and reported texts
In March, Gonzales acknowledged an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. Separate reports last week from the San Antonio Express-News described messages Gonzales allegedly sent to another campaign staffer during his first run for office.
Republican leaders had already pushed Gonzales out of his reelection race, but they had not demanded that he leave Congress right away.