Rep. Lauren Boebert demanded that a fellow Republican resign over an alleged sexual misconduct scandal, even as she publicly celebrated her partnership with President Trump, who has faced multiple sexual misconduct allegations of his own.
In a Feb. 23 post on X, the Colorado Republican wrote,“@RepTonyGonzales, RESIGN!” The post came in response to reporting and screenshots shared by journalist Juliegrace Brufke, who wrote that text messages “indicate Gonzales sought explicit photos from his former staffer, which she pushed back on.”
The Gonzales controversy
Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing growing bipartisan pressure to resign following allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a former staffer who died by suicide and exchanged sexually explicit text messages with her. The messages show Gonzales asking the staffer to “send me a sexy pic” and continuing to pursue sexual discussion even after she told him, “This is too far.”
The former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, worked as Gonzales’s regional district director and later died by suicide in September 2025. Her husband shared the texts with the media to document what he says was not only an affair but an abuse of power by a sitting member of Congress.
Boebert on Trump: Proud to partner
Boebert, however, has recently taken a markedly different tone when discussing sexual misconduct allegations tied to President Trump. Just hours after calling on Gonzales to step down, Boebert posted that she was “Honored to welcome @SecWar to Colorado!” adding, “I’m proud to partner with President Trump and his administration as we support our incredible men and women in uniform!” The post included photos of her greeting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on an airport tarmac, with Air Force personnel standing nearby.
Trump has faced numerous sexual misconduct allegations over the years. In 2023, a jury in New York found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The court later ordered Trump to pay significant damages. Trump has denied the allegations and is appealing the rulings. He has also faced accusations from multiple women dating back decades, all of which he has denied.
Boebert on Epstein
The Colorado lawmaker has also weighed in on the long-running controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. After being granted access to unredacted versions of the Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Boebert said the material contained what she described as “terrifying language,” including references to torture and phrases she interpreted as potentially coded.
She told Newsmax that she saw repeated mentions of “consumption,” “beef jerky,” and a restaurant called “The Cannibal.” She questioned whether these were code words suggesting conduct beyond known trafficking crimes. Boebert expressed shock at the content and urged further scrutiny, though she acknowledged the documents remain heavily redacted in places.
Trump and related terms — including Melania Trump and Mar-a-Lago — show up in more than 38,000 references across the released documents
Meanwhile, multiple Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Nancy Mace, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, have publicly called for Gonzales to resign ahead of the March 3 primary, citing ethics concerns and the impact on public trust.
Gonzales has denied the allegations and refused to step down, dismissing the situation as politically motivated and accusing Santos-Aviles’s widower’s attorney of trying to blackmail him, a claim the attorney denies. Speaker Mike Johnson has stopped short of endorsing calls for resignation, saying investigations should be allowed to proceed.
Published: Feb 24, 2026 03:50 pm