Screenshot via CNN
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) told CNN’s Manu Raju that he does not want to see his fellow House Republican, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), resign despite the allegations against him.
Multiple House Republicans have called for Gonzales to resign over allegations that he had an affair with a staffer, who later committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Gonzales, a married father of six, was revealed to have pressed his former aide to send him “sexy” photos in recently uncovered text messages that also showed the staffer trying to rebuff his advances.
Nehls told reporters on the Capitol steps, “He’s not been indicted for anything. Does it look good? No, I don’t like the appearance of it. He’s got a problem here. Don’t get me wrong. The optics are horrible, but I would in no way ever resign right now. If he does that, if he does it, accusations aren’t enough. If he goes that, then you’ve got to give the gavel to Hakeem Jeffries. I’m sure the Democrats would love that. I would love it, but no, I wouldn’t do that for any reason.”
“But are some things bigger than politics?” pressed Raju.
“No. No. Not up here. Not the way we do what we do in the house,” Nehls replied.
Should Gonzalez resign or lose his seat, the slim GOP majority in the House would shrink even further. The Republicans can currently only afford to lose one member in any party-line vote.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is one of four House Republicans who have called on Gonzales to resign. Mace called Gonzales’s text messages “disgusting and inexcusable” in a statement.
“A Member of Congress. Harassing his own staffer in the middle of the night. Asking for explicit photos. Pressing her on sexual positions. Regina Santos-Aviles told him he was going too far. He did not care. He kept going,” said Mace, adding:
She is gone now. Her son is growing up without his mother. And Tony Gonzales is campaigning like nothing happened.
We have ZERO tolerance for those who abuse their power over others. Zero. It does not matter what party you are in, what title hold, or how powerful you think you are. You do not get a free pass.
“Tony Gonzales should resign immediately and be held fully accountable for what he’s done. She and her family deserved better. And Texans deserve a congressman who does not prey on women,” she concluded.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
The post House Republican Goes to the Mat for Embattled Colleague Tony Gonzales in Stunning Exchange With CNN’s Manu Raju first appeared on Mediaite.