A GOP lawmaker on Wednesday continued to stand by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) despite growing calls for the embattled Republican to step down over sexual misconduct allegations following the grisly suicide of a House staffer last year.
CNN anchor and congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) whether he felt Gonzales should step down. Nehls defended Gonzales and explained why he should not leave his position in the GOP majority House, especially ahead of the high-stakes midterm elections, in an interview shared by Raju on X.
“He’s not been indicted for anything. Does it look good? No, I don’t like the appearance of it. He’s got a problem. Don’t get me wrong. The optics are horrible,” Nehls said. “But I would, in no way, ever resign right now… accusations aren’t enough. If he does that, then you’ve got to give the gavel to Hakeem Jeffries. And I’m sure the Democrats would love that, I would love that, but no I wouldn’t do that for any reason.”
Raju asked, “Aren’t some things bigger than politics?”
“No, no. Not up here, not the way we do what we do in the House,” Nehls said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was accused by Adrian Aviles, the estranged husband of congressional aide Regina Santos-Aviles, of having an affair with his wife. Aviles discovered the trysts in May 2024 through sexually explicit text messages between his wife and the married congressman.
According to Aviles, Gonzales “abused his power” by seducing Santos-Aviles, the congressman’s regional district director. After the affair was discovered, Aviles claims staff retaliated by isolating his wife. Santos-Aviles, 35, died by self-immolation in September 2025. Aviles now contends her death was a “cry for help” rather than suicide.
GOP Rep. Nehls says Tony Gonzales shouldn’t resign because doing so would be “the stupidest thing he could ever do” given the razor-thin House GOP majority. Aren’t some things bigger than politics? “No,” Nehls told me. “Not up here, not the way we do what we do in the House.” pic.twitter.com/YYICSe3pOj — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 25, 2026
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