The House voted 357-65 on March 4 to kill a resolution that would have forced public disclosure of sexual misconduct investigations against members of Congress. Five Colorado House members voted to bury the records. That same night, the congressman at the center of the scandal admitted the affair he had denied for four months.
H.Res. 1100, introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), directed the Ethics Committee to release all reports, conclusions, and materials from sexual misconduct investigations against members and staff. Mace forced the floor vote in direct response to text messages Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) sent to his staffer Regina Santos-Aviles. The House referred the resolution to committee, a procedural move that ensures it never reaches the floor again.
Republicans Jeff Crank, Ron Evans, and Jeff Hurd joined Democrats Jason Crow and Diana DeGette in voting to refer. Lauren Boebert, Joe Neguse, and Brittany Pettersen voted to release the records. None of the five who voted to refer have issued public statements explaining the vote to their constituents. Crank also refused to sign the discharge petition that forced release of the Epstein files last year, after a constituent whose sister was an Epstein victim lobbied him personally.
Republicans voted 175-38 to refer. Democrats voted 182-27 to do the same. The Ethics Committee’s Republican chairman, Michael Guest of Mississippi, and Democratic ranking member, Mark DeSaulnier of California, urged referral. They argued forced disclosures could chill victim cooperation and retraumatize victims through release of interview transcripts and interim work product.
The 38 Republican Nay votes came largely from the House’s conservative wing: Burchett of Tennessee, Luna of Florida, Massie of Kentucky, Roy of Texas, Gill of Texas, and Mace among them. Most had already called for Gonzales to resign. The 27 Democratic Nay votes included Jayapal of Washington, Khanna of California, Swalwell of California, and McGovern of Massachusetts. Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, and former Speaker Pelosi all voted Yea.
Hours after the vote, Gonzales went on conservative radio host Joe Pags’ show and admitted what he had called “completely untruthful” at the Texas Tribune Festival in November. He called the affair “a lapse in judgment” and said he takes “full responsibility.” He said he has reconciled with his wife Angel, that God has forgiven him, and that his faith is stronger than ever. He denied giving Santos-Aviles preferential treatment, claiming her raise was part of a staff-wide pay increase.
Earlier that day, the House Ethics Committee had opened a formal investigation. The Investigative Subcommittee will determine whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward a congressional employee and whether he “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.” The second charge connects to reporting that Santos-Aviles earned thousands more than colleagues in similar roles the same year as the affair.
Santos-Aviles served as Gonzales’ Uvalde district director. She died September 13, 2025, at age 35, after setting herself on fire in her backyard. She left behind an eight-year-old son. As HCA reported last week, the Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide, and no evidence connects Gonzales to her death beyond the affair.
One day before the vote, Gonzales failed to clear 50 percent in Tuesday’s four-way Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, pulling roughly 43 percent. Herrera took 42 percent. The May 26 runoff is a rematch — Gonzales won by 400 votes in 2024. Trump endorsed Gonzales in December but left his name off an endorsement list five days before the primary.
The Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members. If Gonzales resigns or leaves office before the investigation concludes, it ends. The Office of Congressional Conduct has been investigating separately for months but could not transmit its report within 60 days of the primary. That report was due March 4.
The House voted to keep the records sealed. The Ethics Committee opened its investigation. Gonzales confessed. All three happened on the same day — and in that order.
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