‘Disgusting and Inexcusable’: Nancy Mace Calls For Fellow House Republican to Resign Amid Affair Scandal

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) called on her fellow House Republican, Tony Gonzales (R-TX), to resign immediately after text messages were revealed detailing his affair with a staffer who later committed suicide, by setting herself on fire.

On Monday, independent outlet 24Sight News reported on the text messages recovered from the phone of Regina Santos-Aviles. The messages included explicit conversations between the Republican congressman and his former aide. Gonzales, a married father of six, pushes Santos-Aviles at one point for a “sexy pic.” The report notes:

She deflected, writing that her “life has been a Telenovela for the past seven days” and that he didn’t “really want a hot picture” of her. When Gonzales responded that he was “just such a visual person,” Santos-Aviles declined again, saying she didn’t like taking pictures of herself.

Mace called the 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.

Mace, who is a rape survivor, has long been an advocate for victims of sexual abuse. She is running for governor of South Carolina. 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. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) also called on Gonzales to resign, while Rep. Anna Paulin Luna (R-FL) wrote on X, “The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff. As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives. I am so sick of people not calling this crap out. Again, like I’ve said before, this is not the only case of this crap up here. @RepTonyGonzales, shame on you.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!