MAGA Republicans have ramped up their campaign over Trump-endorsed colleague Tony Gonzales, branding him a “disgusting pig” and demanding he be turfed out over his alleged affair with a now-deceased staffer.
Days after allegations emerged that the Texas Congressman had an extramarital tryst with a Congressional aide months before she set herself on fire, pressure is mounting on Speaker Mike Johnson to take action, despite his wafer-thin majority.
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert told reporters that Gonzales was a “disgusting pig,” as she left the Capitol on Wednesday, adding that Johnson “should do something about it.”
GOP Congressman Tim Burchett noted, “I’ve got a wife and a daughter,” and “I can’t stomach it.”
“He needs to go,” Burchett added.
Republican Nancy Mace plans to force a House vote next week on her resolution to release sexual misconduct and harassment reports involving members of Congress in the wake of the revelations.
And GOP colleague Anna Paulina Luna has backed the move, declaring that if “I had the votes tomorrow, I’d kick him out.”
“Stop being predatory freaks and get OUT of office. YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE,” she also wrote on X, taking aim at a congressional fund that members can use to cover sexual harassment or workplace discrimination claims.
“This behavior is reprehensible and a poor reflection on the Republican Party, and I will not tolerate this type of moral rot in my own party. NOR should the AMERICAN PEOPLE.”
The growing outrage against Gonzales, 45, comes as he faces an uphill battle for a fourth term in Congress following the emergence of details of an extramarital tryst with the late Regina Santos-Aviles.
Messages between him and his one-time regional district director revealed the MAGA Texan pushed for a “sexy pic” of Alvis, 35, and asked her favorite sexual position despite her protests that he was taking things “too far.”
Santos-Aviles took her own life in September after her husband, Adrian Aviles, learned of her affair with her boss. Now, he is going public with his late wife’s texts to fire back at Gonzales, who has tried to dismiss the horrific situation as “blackmail” meant to unseat him.
Gonzales has not answered questions from the press about the veracity of texts at the center of the scandal, and has so far refused to resign.
“I work every day for the people of Texas,” he said on Tuesday, adding that: “What you’ve seen are not all the facts.”
Johnson has called the allegations “serious” but so far declined to call for Gonzales to resign, saying it’s up to Gonzales to address the issue with his constituents.
With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House as the midterms loom, he faces a delicate balancing act between disciplining a member and potentially affecting vote margins, or angering the party’s right flank through his inaction.
However, other Republicans, including Chip Roy, Brandon Gill, and Kevin Kiley, have urged Gonzales to suspend or end his campaign, while Thomas Massie has pressed for his resignation.
Gonzales was endorsed by Trump last December in a bid for re-election to Texas’s 23rd Congressional District.
At the time, Trump described him as a “terrific Representative” and highlighted his military background as a retired Master Chief Petty Officer from the U.S. Navy.
“Tony knows the Wisdom and Courage that is required to Defend our Country, Support our Brave Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote.
Gonzales, in turn, called Trump “the most influential and effective President of our lifetime.”
