The Republican politician, who represents parts of San Antonio, says he will retire from Congress.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, facing the prospect of being expelled from Congress this week, said late Monday that he will retire from his office.
In a post on X, Gonzales said: “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
Bipartisan calls to expel both Gonzales and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, mounted over the weekend after a number of former Swalwell employees accused him of sexual misconduct, including one former aide who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her.
Swalwell has said the allegations of sexual assault are “flat false.”
The prospect of expulsion votes gained steam Saturday when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, said she would file an expulsion motion to boot Swalwell, adding that she would support a similar move against Gonzales. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, subsequently said she will introduce a resolution to expel Gonzales.
Gonzales is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct. Lawmakers are forbidden from engaging in sexual relationships with their employees under House rules.
Last week, a second former campaign employee came forward with text evidence that Gonzales had been sexually inappropriate with her as well.
But it was not until the possibility of Swalwell’s ouster — coming days after the new text evidence and several weeks after Gonzales’ behavior first came to light — that a significant number of Gonzales’ fellow Republicans began showing support for expelling him. Now, the newfound potential to remove one member from each party would keep the House GOP’s narrow margin intact.
Republicans currently hold 217 seats to the Democrats’ 214 in the lower chamber.
“Gonzales and Swalwell are not fit to serve in Congress given their sexual transgressions against women who work for them,” said Leger Fernández, who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus. “They should resign or be expelled.”
The expulsion frenzy could also sweep up lawmakers beyond Gonzales and Swalwell. Some members have also called for the expulsion of Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida, whom the Ethics Committee found guilty of campaign finance violations, and Cory Mills, R-Florida, who is under an Ethics investigation for sexual and financial misconduct.
In both Gonzales and Swalwell’s cases, their respective House party leaders have called for them to drop their electoral campaigns but stopped short of suggesting resignation from Congress.
Both Luna and Leger Fernández can circumvent leadership to put their expulsion resolutions on the floor, under rules that allow members to take “privileged actions” against one another. But expulsion requires a two-thirds majority of the House, meaning it must be bipartisan.
In the history of the House, only six members have been expelled — most recently, New York Republican George Santos, a serial fabulist, in 2023. But an initial expulsion resolution on the House floor against Santos failed, as many members argued against setting a precedent of expulsion before the Ethics Committee had finished its investigation and recommended how to proceed. And members have historically been content to let voters decide at the ballot box if a member’s conduct is disqualifying.
While the two-thirds majority for expulsion is a high bar to cross, numerous House members have pledged to vote yes.
Already, a number of representatives from both parties — including Republicans Lauren Boebert, Byron Donalds, Bryan Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, Luna, Nancy Mace and Addison McDowell, and Democrats Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Julie Johnson, Ro Khanna, Leger Fernandez, Emily Randall and Nydia Velazquez — have announced support for expelling both Gonzales and Swalwell.