WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10: U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) speaks during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not leap to conclusions about U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales' sexting scandal with an ex-staffer even as calls for the Texas Republican to resign come from within his own Republican Party.

"I've said to him publicly and privately, he's got to address that directly and head on with his constituents," Johnson said. "There's a primary there in less than a week and these things will play out."

Johnson called the allegations against the south Texas congressman "alarming and detestable."

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks at a news conference with Republican House Leadership at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Gonzales is accused of having an affair with a staffer and pressuring her to send sexually explicit photos.

The staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home. The death was ruled a suicide by self-immolation by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

House members Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Thomas Massie (R- Ky.) have all called on Gonzales to resign.

Gonzales has said he will not resign. Johnson seemed to support Gonzales remaining in office Wednesday.

"I don't usually go into detail on private conversations I've had with members, but I'll tell you that what I've said publicly, these are very serious allegations," Johnson said. "He's denied much of it. We have to allow the process here to play out as always. We're always consistent about that."