Rep. Tony Gonzales
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales announced on Monday he would resign from Congress, avoiding an expected vote on his expulsion after he admitted to having an affair with a staffer.
Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio, has faced intensifying scrutiny in recent months after the San Antonio Express-News first revealed evidence that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a married staffer who later died by suicide, prompting calls from colleagues for him to step aside or be ousted. Pressure further mounted when another aide came forward, saying the married father of six pressed her for nude photos and sex during his first run for Congress in 2020.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales said in a statement posted on X. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
The third-term lawmaker said he would step aside minutes after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who is facing numerous allegations of assault from staffers, announced he would relinquish his seat in the House. Both men were set to face expulsion votes this week over alleged sexual misconduct.
Earlier in the day there was a story about how there was a bipartisan push to expel each of the two sex pests (okay, alleged sex pests), and the next thing you knew they were both announcing their intention to resign, with Swalwell an hour or so ahead of Gonzales. I’ve put what was going to be the original post beneath the fold in case you’re curious. This would trigger a special election to fill Rep. Gonzales’ term in CD23, and normally I would assume Greg Abbott would declare it an emergency and schedule it as quickly as possible. But given the way special elections have been going lately, and how much attention this would draw, I’m thinking he’ll wait until November, which would be the default option, and not risk a huge, more-consequential-than-SD09 embarrassment. (Section 203.004 applies here.) I can’t wait to see what he decides. The Trib and the Associated Press have more.
UPDATE: Katy Padilla Stout, the Democratic candidate in CD23, has put out a statement that includes a call for Greg Abbott to schedule the special election as soon as possible.
Rep. Tony Gonzales
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, could be expelled from Congress this week as members in both parties contemplate ousting colleagues accused of sexual misconduct.
Bipartisan calls to expel both Gonzales and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, mounted over the weekend after a number of former Swalwell employees accused him of sexual misconduct, including one former aide who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her.
Swalwell has said the allegations of sexual assault are “flat false.”
The prospect of expulsion votes gained steam Saturday when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, said she would file an expulsion motion to boot Swalwell, adding that she would support a similar move against Gonzales. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, subsequently said she will introduce a resolution to expel Gonzales.
In February, the San Antonio Express-News reported that Gonzales had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, along with text messages showing Gonzales pressed the aide for explicit photos after she pushed back on his overtures. Gonzales admitted to the affair in early March, and dropped his reelection bid shortly after.
Last week, a second former campaign employee came forward with text evidence that Gonzales had been sexually inappropriate with her as well.
Gonzales is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct. Lawmakers are forbidden from engaging in sexual relationships with their employees under House rules.
But some members are eager for quicker action than an ethics referral. Though both Gonzales and Swalwell are no longer running for office, an increasing number of members have said they plan to vote to expel the two.
“Gonzales and Swalwell are not fit to serve in Congress given their sexual transgressions against women who work for them,” said Leger Fernández, who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus. “They should resign or be expelled.”
In a House where Republicans have a narrow 217-214 majority, expelling both Gonzales and Swalwell — one member from each party — would be an easier ask for lawmakers worried about the partisan composition of the lower chamber.
The expulsion frenzy could also sweep up lawmakers beyond Gonzales and Swalwell. Some members have also called for the expulsion of Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida, whom the Ethics Committee found guilty of campaign finance violations, and Cory Mills, R-Florida, who is under an Ethics investigation for sexual and financial misconduct.
In both Gonzales and Swalwell’s cases, their respective House party leaders have called for them to drop their electoral campaigns but stopped short of suggesting resignation from Congress.
See here, here, and here for some background. The allegations against Rep. Swalwell are more recent and I’m less familiar with them but they also sound awful. I am on the one hand generally not in favor of rushing to oust elected officials who haven’t been convicted of anything, partly because I’m leery of overruling the electoral process and partly because I prefer having the finality of a verdict or plea. But the justice system can move very slowly, and holding expulsion to this level of standard would let an unacceptable number of people fully escape accountability. Given the two-thirds majority requirement for expulsion, which should limit them to the more egregious instances, I’m okay with pushing this forward.
As it happens, I was listening to this episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out before I settled down to write this post. That episode was about the great value of rules in not only a free society but also a prosperous one. The more people begin to feel that rules don’t apply to an increasing segment of society, the very much worse it is for all of us. If putting a couple of Congressional heads on metaphorical spikes would restore a tiny bit of faith in the concept of accountability, that’s more than enough for me. The 19th and the Chron have more.
UPDATE: No need to boot Swalwell, he says he’ll resign.
Good riddance to both Swalwell and Gonzalez.
I anticipate the special and the full term election will both be on Nov. 3. Surely Gov. Abbott’s polling is showing that an earlier, special election is a risk for Republicans.
Accountability for thee but not for Trump or, any other American in the Epstein files.