The House Ethics Committee is forming an investigative panel to probe allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate favoritism against Rep. Tony Gonzales.
The committee will decide whether or not Gonzales “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct” in regard to allegations that he could have “engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office” or “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.”
The committee’s announcement comes because the Texas Republican has been embroiled in a tough main combat that would finish his tenure in Congress – a marketing campaign made extra contentious by allegations he had an affair with a senior staffer who later died by suicide. Gonzales will now face conservative activist Brandon Herrera in a runoff on May 26. The final day to withdraw from the runoff and thereby cancel it’s March 18.
Pressed by NCS forward of the first, Gonzales wouldn’t say whether or not he had an affair with the staffer nor whether or not he despatched sexually specific textual content messages that appeared to indicate him pressuring the girl to share pictures of herself.
And he’s thus far remained defiant amid mounting calls from some GOP colleagues to step down after reviews surfaced of his alleged affair.
“There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out,” he instructed NCS final week. “What you’ve seen is not all the facts. And there will be ample time for all of that to come out.”
Top House Republicans have carefully tracked the allegations against Gonzales in current weeks. Complicating the matter for GOP management is that House Speaker Mike Johnson is coping with one of many House’s smallest margins in historical past, leaving little or no wiggle room for the occasion on the ground.
Johnson stated Wednesday he would let investigations play out when requested if he would endorse the embattled congressman in his main runoff.
“You know I’ve always been consistent: We allow due process and investigations to play out,” Johnson stated when requested by NCS’s Manu Raju whether or not he would achieve this.
Johnson reiterated that he has inspired Gonzales to deal with the allegations head-on. “I’ve encouraged him to address it publicly, the voters have spoken,” he stated.
Despite a number of calls from the speaker to take action, Gonzales has but to make a public assertion on the matter.