Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, was recently cornered by journalists, receiving questions about why he has not called for the resignation of Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.
Gonzales is under heavy pressure after serious allegations about his conduct with a former staff member surfaced online. According to reports from Time, the Texas Republican has been accused of having an affair with ex-aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.
The situation worsened after Santos-Aviles took her own life, putting the case into motion. Her death led the San Antonio Express-News to release the text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles, wherein the Congressman appeared asking the aide to send him a “s— pic”.
🚨REPORT🚨
The husband of a former staffer for U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who died by suicide last year after an alleged affair with the congressman, has publicly spoken out for the first time.
Adrian Aviles, the widower of Regina Santos-Aviles, accused the married lawmaker of… pic.twitter.com/hANwx8QFIH
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) February 19, 2026
He also appeared to be posing s——- explicit questions, despite Santos-Aviles allegedly warning him repeatedly via message that he was going “too far.” Further, when the Republican was asked about his affair, he denied it all.
Gonzales is yet to publicly address the newly released messages. Meanwhile, the situation has caused deep concern within his own party, leading several Republicans to openly call for his resignation.
Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina have argued that the accusations are serious enough for Gonzales to resign.
However, Speaker Mike Johnson, seems to be taking a more cautious approach. When asked directly by a reporter from Forbes, why he has not demanded Gonzales step down, Johnson urged caution, while the investigation is ongoing.
“I’ve told him he’s got to address that with his constituents and he’s in the process of doing; that is my understanding. There’s an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and has been going for some time and the office of congressional conduct has also that’s been reported.” Johnson mentioned.
He further added, “But I think as in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out… Whether you’re talking about Republicans or Democrats, you have to let the system play out.”
Johnson concluded with, “If the accusation of something is going to be the litmus test for someone being able to continue to serve in the House, you’ll have a lot of people who would have to resign or be removed or expelled from Congress. So I think you got to allow this to play out.”
BREAKING: In a stunning moment, several Republican members of Congress are openly defying Mike Johnson and calling for the resignation of Congressman Tony Gonzales. Gonzales had an affair with a staff member who later took her own life. Even Republicans won’t defend him anymore. pic.twitter.com/b8qUXua8We
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) February 24, 2026
The Speaker warned against removing someone from office simply based on accusations. He stressed that investigations are ongoing in Texas, and so, it is important to let the process play out before taking serious steps against Tony Gonzales’ political future.
As the controversy over Gonzales dominated much of the discussion, Johnson deflected the topic towards another major issue about tariffs that have recently been ruled unlawful.
When asked if the administration should refund hundreds of billions of dollars collected from those tariffs, Johnson said, he doesn’t believe refunds are necessary.
“I don’t think so. The White House is going to sort that out and we have to give them the time and space to do it. This is an unprecedented event of course so there’s no playbook to follow. I think they’ve got good arguments on their side and we’ll see how it shakes out.” Johnson stated.
Explaining that there is no clear playbook for what to do next regarding the tariffs, since the situation is unprecedented, Mike Johnson called for patience. In both cases, he urged for investigations and legal reviews to take place before engaging in drastic steps.
