Rep. Tony Gonzales faces ethics investigation over alleged affair ahead of tough primary

Source: NBC News

Feb. 20, 2026, 3:15 PM EST


As Rep. Tony Gonzales prepares to face Republican primary voters in Texas on March 3, the Office of Congressional Conduct has conducted — and concluded — an investigation into an alleged affair between Gonzales and a former staffer who died by suicide in September.

Two sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that the probe has wrapped up, but the OCC cannot transmit its report to the House Ethics Committee within a 60-day window before an election involving a member of Congress in the investigation.

But the allegation regarding Gonzales and his former regional district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, has roiled the final days of the congressman’s primary in West Texas’ 23rd District.

The congressman had previously denied the affair months ago, but his new statements in response to questions avoid addressing the allegation. His office did not respond to repeated requests from NBC News to clarify whether he stands by that past denial, and he did not respond to a request for comment on the OCC investigation.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/rep-tony-gonzales-faces-ethics-investigation-alleged-affair-ahead-toug-rcna259799