U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales’ troubles just keep compounding.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and the chamber’s GOP leadership asked the San Antonio congressman to end his reelection bid following his admission that he had an affair with staffer who later killed herself, the Texas Tribune reports.
Gonzales, a Republican who represents a South Texas district stretching from the Alamo City to El Paso, is heading into May 26 runoff against Brandon Herrera, a YouTube gun influencer. The day after Election Day, the House Ethics Committee opened a probe into the three-term congressman’s behavior and he also admitted to the affair during an interview with a syndicated right-wing podcast.
House Republican leaders said they urged the ethics panel to “act expeditiously,” and that Gonzales “said he will fully cooperate with the investigation,” according to the statement obtained by the Tribune.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” the statement continued. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
However, it remains to be seen whether Gonzales will heed their call.
During his Wednesday interview the congressman said he had no plans to leave the House or suspend his campaign.
“Those that are asking for me not to do my job are the ones that want to see the Republicans fail here in Congress,” he said. “There’s no time. We can’t let anything slow us down from executing President Trump’s agenda.”
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