Rep. Tony Gonzales, who has admitted to having an affair with one of his own staffers, is set to face an expulsion vote later this week despite the decision of another embattled House member to resign.
Some House members believed the Texas Republican should be sent packing alongside California Democrat Eric Swalwell, who stands accused of sexually assaulting a staff member — accusations he has denied.
Now that Swalwell has announced he intends to resign, members of both parties say they will still seek Gonzales’ expulsion this week.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who was preparing to lead an expulsion effort against Swalwell, said in an interview she would still vote to expel Gonzales: “He should resign. But he probably won’t.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) plans to unveil an expulsion resolution targeting Gonzales Tuesday, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss her plans.
“Tony, you should either resign or face a vote on the House floor regarding your sexual misconduct,” Leger Fernandez said in a social media post Monday.
Speaker Mike Johnson has previously called for ethics investigations to play out in the Gonzales case. Gonzales admitted last month to the affair with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide, and announced he would not seek reelection.
A independent congressional investigation separately found “substantial reason to believe” Gonzales had violated House rules with the relationship. An official Ethics Committee investigation is pending.
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