Johnson, GOP leaders ask Tony Gonzales to drop reelection after admitting affair |
Johnson, GOP leaders ask Tony Gonzales to drop reelection after admitting affair
House Republican leaders on Thursday called on Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-La.) to end his bid for reelection over an affair that the Texas congressman admitted he had with a staffer in his office who later died by suicide.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) issued a joint statement urging Gonzales to drop out.
“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,” the House GOP leaders said in a statement.
The statement comes one day after Gonzales admitted in an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pags that the affair occurred, saying that he “made a mistake” and had a “lapse in judgement.” But Gonzales had resisted calls to resign or end his campaign for reelection.
The House Ethics Committee officially opened an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday to examine allegations that he violated the House’s code of conduct, which prohibits sexual relationships with staff.
It opened the investigation the day after Gonzales’s primary in Texas, which sent him to a runoff against a right-wing challenger in May.
It did not open an investigation earlier due to the panel’s rules about taking actions against members within 60 days before an election.
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