House Gonzales admits to having an affair, calls it a ‘mistake’ and ‘lapse of judgment’ by Sudiksha Kochi - 03/04/26 7:26 PM ET by Sudiksha Kochi - 03/04/26 7:26 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) admitted to having an affair with one of his congressional staffers, who died after setting herself on fire last year. Gonzales, who had been facing increasing scrutiny over allegations of the affair, told conservative talk show host Joe Pags in an interview that he “made a mistake” and had a “lapse in judgment.” “I take full responsibility for those actions. Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever. When you make mistakes like this, you know it’s never easy. It humbles you, but it’s important to kind of work through it all,” Gonzales said. Gonzales did not receive enough votes in Tuesday’s Texas primary to win reelection outright and will head to a runoff in May against YouTuber Brandon Herrera. The San Antonio Express-News last month reported that the staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to another staffer in April: “I had an affair with our boss and I’m fine.” Text messages said to be extracted from Santos-Aviles’s phone provided by her widower to media outlets, including The Hill, appear to show Gonzales soliciting sexual material from Santos-Aviles as she said he was going too far. It is against the House’s code of conduct for members to have a sexual relationship with a staff member. The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into Gonzales.  The panel said in a statement that it voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to examine whether 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.” Gonzales told Pags that he looks forward to the Ethics Committee starting an investigation. “I appreciate the opportunity to be able to provide all the facts and all the details that lead to exactly what occurred in the entire situation,” he said.  Add as preferred source on Google Tags Tony Gonzales Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More House News See All Campaign Utah Republican announces he won’t seek reelection by Tara Suter 4 hours ago Campaign  /  4 hours ago