WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday called on Rep. Tony Gonzales to drop his reelection campaign after the Texas Republican admitted he had an affair with a staffer.

In a joint statement with other top House Republicans, Johnson said Gonzales is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and that they’ve encouraged him to address the scandal with his colleagues and his constituents.

“In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,” Johnson said in the statement with Reps. Steve Scalise (La.), Tom Emmer (Minn.) and Lisa McClain (Mich.).

Johnson’s decision to pull support from Gonzales was probably made easier by the fact that Gonzales won fewer votes than his main opponent, Brandon Herrera, in Tuesday’s primary election in Texas. Gonzales and Herrera advanced to a runoff election that will take place in May.

After denying it for months, Gonzales admitted in a radio interview Wednesday he’d had a sexual relationship with a staffer in 2024, which is against House rules. Last year, the aide set herself on fire and died following what her husband called a depressive “spiral” triggered by his discovery of the affair with Gonzales. Text messages showed Gonzales asked for “a sexy pic” and made other sexual advances late at night in 2024.

“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales told conservative broadcaster Joe Pags. “Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has. And my faith is as strong as ever.”

Several of Gonzales’ Republican colleagues have said he should outright resign rather than just quit his campaign.

After saying he took “full responsibility” for the affair in the radio interview, Gonzales struck a combative tone, lashing out at his late staffer’s husband. The congressman said the widower was using his wife’s death to extort a $300,000 settlement, claiming his own infidelity led to her death, and even saying the media has distorted the story to smear his good name.

“From day one, this has been about power and money,” Gonzales said. “You cannot hate the media enough.”

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