WASHINGTON — The House is self-cleaning.
Disgraced Rep. Tony Gonzales — who dropped his re-election bid after revelations of his sexual advances on a subordinate who later fatally set herself on fire — plans to retire from Congress Tuesday.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” the Texas Republican wrote on X Monday evening.
“When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office,” he announced. “It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
Gonzales has been accused of sending lewd text messages to at least two former staffers, including the late Regina Santos-Aviles, with whom the married father of six admitted to having an affair.
The announcement came moments after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced his resignation from Congress after multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, with one former subordinate claiming she had been raped by the longtime lawmaker.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) announced plans to introduce a resolution later this week to expel Gonzales from Congress. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) similarly planned to put forward a measure to boot Swalwell from the House.
“As I’ve said, Gonzales and Swalwell are not fit to serve in Congress given their sexual transgressions against women who work for them,” Fernández wrote on X. “They should resign or be expelled.”
Fernández and Luna both expressed support for each other’s resolutions.
Gonzales is also facing a House Ethics Committee probe into his alleged sexual misconduct, which would close if he were to resign.
Republican leaders called on Gonzales to end his re-election bid after text messages between himself and Santos-Aviles surfaced.
One of the leaked messages showed the congressman asking his staffer for “a sexy pic.”
Other texts between Santos-Aviles and a former colleague shared with The Post revealed her discussing the “affair” with Gonzales.
Santos-Aviles, 35, fatally set herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home on Sept. 13, 2025, dying the following day of the severe burns she suffered.
After Gonzales, 45, dropped out of his primary race against fellow Republican Brandon Herrera, the San Antonio Express-News revealed that the congressman reportedly prodded another staffer for sex years earlier.
Gonzales reportedly fired off hundreds of messages to his then-political director back in 2020, in which he repeatedly pressed her for nudes, asked her “What kind of panties do you wear?” and clamored for her to “squeeze my balls,” among other advances, the outlet reported.
The House GOP’s ultra-slim 217 to 214 majority will not be impacted with both Gonzales and Swalwell departing Congress.
