Congress Tony Gonzales

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas says he will retire from Congress after bipartisan calls to expel him. Gonzales had already said he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales said in a social media post Monday. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office.” He said it has been a privilege “to serve the great people of Texas.” He gave no further details on his plans to step down.

Resignations came quickly this week from two congressmen accused of sexual misconduct toward staff members. Yet for many of the women of Capitol Hill, the moment of accountability was years in the making — and far from enough. Reps. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, both made announcements within hours on Monday afternoon that they would be stepping down from Congress. Yet some congresswomen said that the pair of resignations took too long and only showed that Congress must do more work to rid Capitol Hill of sexual predators.