The embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales announced Thursday night that he will drop his bid for re-election but will serve out the rest of his term in Congress, following a tumultuous set of weeks for the congressman who admitted to having an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. Republican leadership rebuked Gonzales earlier on Thursday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who leads a razor-thin GOP majority in the lower chamber, calling on him to retire at the end of his term but not resign from the role entirely. more in first comments 👇👇

Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain urged the Ethics Committee in a joint statement Thursday to “act expeditiously.”

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,” they said.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., echoed the statement, saying: “Tony should withdraw from the runoff and allow the Ethics process to move forward while focusing on his family and serving his constituents for the remainder of his term.”