Screenshot via social media
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) told CNN’s Manu Raju on Capitol Hill Tuesday that he will not resign from Congress amid a growing scandal surrounding an alleged affair he had with a staffer who later killed herself by self-immolation.
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.
Raju asked Gonzales, “Are those text messages correct? Are they accurate?”
Gonzales replied to another reporter, “I am not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas.”
Raju pressed again, “Are those text messages — are they real text messages?”
Gonzales replied, “I am not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas. And there will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
Raju added, “Did you have an extramarital affair with a staffer?”
Gonzales shot back, “What you’ve seen is not all the facts, and there’ll be ample time for all of that to come out.”
“What are the facts? Tell us. Can you address it right now? Your constituents want to know,” insisted Raju.
“My constituents are not here in D.C. My constituents are back home in Texas,” Gonzales replied.
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.
The post ‘I am Not Going to Resign’: Tony Gonzales Defiant Amid Growing Scandal first appeared on Mediaite.