GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales told reporters Tuesday he will not step down from his seat amid allegations he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
“I am not going to resign,” the Texas lawmaker said.
Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier Tuesday he planned to meet with Gonzales. Asked several times in a Capitol hallway if Gonzales should run for reelection under the circumstance, he replied, “I haven’t met with him yet.”
Gonzales faces a competitive GOP primary race on March 3. Five fellow House Republicans have called on him to resign, most recently Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Tim Burchett of Tennessee, with others saying he should end his reelection campaign.
Gonzales has previously denied having an affair with the late staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, but has not addressed the newly released text messages, which appear to show Gonzales asking for intimate photos and discussing sex acts.
“I work every day for the people of Texas,” he said Tuesday. “And there will be an opportunity for all the details and facts that come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
