Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) must address the allegations that he had an affair with one of his congressional staffers, who died last year after setting herself on fire, but added that it is “too early to prejudge” the situation.
“I endorsed Tony before all these allegations came out,” Johnson said in the Capitol when asked by an NBC News reporter if he still supports Gonzales, adding that the allegations are “very serious.”
Johnson said he had spoken with Gonzales and told him to “address that in an appropriate way with his constituents and all of that.”
“It’s too early for anybody to prejudge any of that, but we’ll see how it develops,” Johnson said.
Gonzales has said the allegations are “personal smears” being used by his primary opponent to “score political points.”
Gonzales came under new scrutiny for allegations of an affair after the San Antonio Express-News last week reported that the now-deceased aide who worked in Gonzales’s Uvalde, Texas, office, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to another staffer in April 2025: “I had an affair with our boss and I’m fine.”
The late aide’s widower, Adrian Aviles, also gave his first public interviews last week in which he accused Gonzales of abusing his power by being romantically involved with her.
The new details are emerging as Gonzales heads to a tough March 3 primary. Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber who produces firearms content, called on Gonzales to resign in light of the new information.
It is against the House’s code of conduct for members to have a sexual relationship with an employee in their office. NBC News reported last week that the Office of Congressional Conduct will transmit an investigation into the matter to the House Ethics Committee after the primary ends, since it cannot transmit a report about a member within a 60-day window before an election.
Gonzales has called the allegations a political smear. Last week, he posted a screenshot on social platform X of part of an email from attorney Robert J. Barrera, who represents Adrian Aviles, offering to agree to a nondisclosure settlement rather than go through procedures to seek damages in the Congressional Accountability Act.
Gonzales said alongside the screenshot: “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death.”