Washington, D.C. – March 5, 2026 – In a decisive 357–65 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, killed a resolution by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) that would have forced the House Ethics Committee to publicly release all investigative reports on allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment involving lawmakers and staff.
The bipartisan vote referred Mace’s measure to the Ethics Committee—effectively burying it—after the panel’s Republican Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Democratic Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) jointly urged members to block it.
In a rare statement, the leaders warned that public disclosure of interim reports, interview transcripts, and exhibits “could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations.”
“Here and elsewhere, perpetrators of sexual misconduct should never be shielded from responsibility,” they wrote. “But victims may be retraumatized by public disclosures…and witnesses…could fear retaliation if their cooperation is made public.”
Mace, a vocal advocate for transparency and herself a sexual assault survivor, forced the floor vote after NBC News and other outlets revealed sexually explicit text messages allegedly sent by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to a former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, with whom he reportedly had an affair before her suicide in 2025. Gonzales has denied the affair but has not directly addressed the messages since they surfaced. Mace, who has repeatedly called for his resignation, said the vote was about accountability:
“I would like members of Congress to tell their female colleagues where they stand on sexual harassment within the U.S. House of Representatives.”
The Ethics Committee announced Tuesday night it would open a formal investigation into the allegations against Gonzales, who faces a competitive May runoff in his Texas primary after failing to secure a majority in the March 4 election.
Because the Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members, any report would automatically terminate if Gonzales resigns or loses re-election before completion. House rules also prohibit lawmakers from engaging in sexual relationships with their own staff.
The vote highlights ongoing tension between transparency and victim/witness protection in congressional misconduct cases. Mace, who helped force the release of Jeffrey Epstein files last fall, vowed to continue pushing for openness.
Critics of the decision argue it shields powerful figures; supporters say it prevents retraumatization and preserves investigative integrity.
