Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Tuesday called for the House Ethics Committee to release all congressional sexual harassment investigation records, suggesting that the latest scandal involving Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is “just the tip of the iceberg.”
Mace introduced a resolution that would require the committee to preserve all documents related to sexual harassment investigations and release them to the public within 60 days of the resolution’s adoption.
“We’ve filed a resolution directing the Ethics Committee to preserve and publicly release records and reports on all of their investigations into Members of Congress for sexual harassment and unwelcome sexual advances. Tony Gonzales is just the tip of the iceberg,” Mace said in an X post. “There is no place for sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual advances in the House of Representatives. And we won’t let the Washington establishment keep protecting its own. End of story.”
The resolution comes during a widening controversy over explicit text messages sent by Gonzales to his former regional director, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by setting herself on fire in 2025.
Adrian Aviles, the widower of Santos-Aviles, released texts that he claims are between the Texas Republican and his estranged wife. The screenshots show Santos-Alives messaging with a number saved as “TG,” Gonzales’s initials, that appear to show the congressman pressing Santos-Aviles to send sexual pictures.
Gonzales has denied wrongdoing and characterized the fallout as political blackmail.
Mace previously called for Gonzales to resign. Several other Republican lawmakers have joined Mace in publicly calling for Gonzales to resign, while others called for him to rethink his reelection bid in the 2026 midterm elections.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was the first to call for Gonzales’ resignation, saying she “had never been a fan” of the Texas congressman. She said his behavior “has no place anywhere, let alone in Congress.” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) also demanded that Gonzales step down, characterizing his alleged conduct as abusive and unbecoming of a member of Congress.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is the latest to join resignation calls and he questioned if President Donald Trump would rescind his endorsement of Gonzales.
Last December, Massie also called for Congress to release a secret list of lawmakers who have used taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene joined Massie in the action.
READ: TONY GONZALES’S EXPLICIT SEXUAL TEXTS TO LATE STAFFER WHO SET HERSELF ON FIRE
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) also urged Gonzales to drop out of next week’s primary, with some members of the House Freedom Caucus shifting support to Gonzales’s challenger, YouTuber and gun rights activist Brandon Herrera.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has stopped short of calling for resignation, noting the seriousness of the allegations but emphasizing that ethics and possibly state authorities should complete their investigations before further judgment.
