House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said Rep. Tony Gonzales must address serious allegations but should not resign before investigations conclude.
Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, faces claims he had an affair with a district staffer who later died by suicide.
Gonzales has denied the affair and said he is being blackmailed. Speaking to CNN, Johnson said: “There are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously, and I’ve told him he’s got to address that with his constituents and, and he’s in the process of doing that.”
“It is my understanding there’s an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and has been going for some time, and the Office of Congressional Conduct has also, it’s been reported, they’ve been looking at it and all of that was news to me. But I … think as in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out”, he added.
“So it’s too early for anybody to prejudge any of that, but we’ll see how it develops,” Johnson said.
Some Republican lawmakers have called for Gonzales to step down as the March 3 primary approaches.