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Rep. Tony Gonzales says he's retiring from Congress ... stepping aside after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who committed suicide last year by setting herself on fire.

The Republican Congressman from Texas announced his retirement plans Monday in a social media post, saying ... "There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas."

Gonzales was running for re-election until his campaign got rocked by allegations he had an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in 2025.

California Congressman Eric Swalwell says he’s stepping down from Capitol Hill -- and he’s owning up to past mistakes while blasting what he calls a rush to judgment in Washington.

In a statement announcing his resignation he posted to X, Swalwell apologized to his family, staff, and constituents for what he described as “mistakes in judgment” -- but made it clear he’s not backing down from a separate allegation he insists is flat-out false.

Swalwell says he plans to fight that accusation head-on … but at the same time, he admitted the controversy has become a distraction he doesn’t want hanging over the people he represents.

Our TMZ DC staff is now ensconced in Washington, D.C. and open for business!

Our 3 intrepid producers -- Charlie Cotton, Jacob Wasserman and Jakson Buhaj -- are working The Hill. They arrived over the weekend and their first day on the job was supposed to be today -- when members of Congress return from their 2-week break.

Turns out ... members of the House aren't coming back to work until Tuesday -- gotta make sure they get 2 full weeks off, right?

President Donald Trump got some heat for posting -- and ultimately deleting -- an A.I.-generated pic of himself as Jesus ... but he says that wasn't his intention.

In a news conference Monday, Donald said ... "I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor." Trump claims he thought the image was of him as a Red Cross doc because there "was a Red Cross worker" in the photo.

While it's true there is a doctor in the pic ... the A.I. rendering of Trump shows himself wearing a white tunic and a red shawl -- which is what Jesus is commonly depicted wearing.

President Donald Trump isn't the only one who can use A.I. ... California Governor Gavin Newsom just savagely trolled the president with a photo portraying DT as the Grim Reaper, with an old friend looking over his shoulder.

Newsom's brutal slam follows Trump sharing an A.I.-generated image of himself resembling Jesus on Sunday after criticizing Pope Leo XIV as "weak."

In response, Newsom posted a dark image of Trump in a black cloak, with his skeletal hand gripping a scythe as Jeffrey Epstein hovers just behind him.

Pope Leo XIV is not taking any crap from President Donald Trump ... firing back at DJT's nasty Truth Social post that slammed the Pontiff for his perceived liberal-leaning views on crime and foreign policy.

Leo was speaking with journalists aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria Monday when he was asked about Trump's verbal attacks on what the Commander-in-Chief sees as the Pope's "Radical Left" beliefs.

Check out video of Leo's response ... he calmly tells reporters he has "no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do."

Leo added he and his Catholic church cronies are not politicians and "don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective" as Trump. He went on to say he believes "in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”

As Eric Swalwell's political career continues to crumble at lightning-fast speed ... a big-time benefactor has pretty much told him to go to hell.

Billionaire Stephen Cloobeck went scorched earth in an interview with the California Post, saying he's booted the embattled Swalwell from his Beverly Hills mansion ... and he's looking to recoup $1 million he forked over for the politician's now-defunct gubernatorial run.

The backlash comes on the heels of the Democratic Congressman from California being accused by multiple women -- some who worked for him -- of sexual assault and other alleged sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing ... but is now the target of a criminal probe.

Swalwell has been staying at the mansion as a guest ... it's where he filmed his video denial prior to dropping out of the race for California governor over the weekend. We're told Swalwell had been staying there for a few days before he was kicked out Sunday morning.

Not even Pope Leo can escape the wrath of President Trump, who excoriated the Holy Father for his views on crime and foreign policy — and a bunch of other stuff, too!

Trump posted a long-winded message on Truth Social Sunday night, kicking things off by slamming Leo for being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

Trump is also pissed at The Pontiff for criticizing him over bombing the hell out of Iran and sparking a war between the 2 countries with the help of Israel. Over the weekend, Leo implied that a "delusion of omnipotence" is behind the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.  

Congressman Eric Swalwell is dealing with more than just sexual misconduct allegations ... he's now got an angry husband on his case after Swalwell allegedly bombarded his wife with explicit pics and showed up near their home.

Adam Parkhomenko -- husband to influencer Ally Sammarco -- posted Saturday ... "If Eric Swalwell or his attorney makes a single statement that disparages my wife, I will be filing a lawsuit against him."

He added, "I've already made clear that if he believes anything I've said is untrue, he should sue me immediately."

"Saturday Night Live" unloaded on Donald Trump last night ... but honestly, nobody was safe.

The show's cold open imagined Trump -- played by James Austin Johnson -- dialing up Tiger Woods ... and immediately regretting it. Instead of talking golf, Tiger drops a bombshell about his DUI and flipping his car, and Trump basically shrugs it off like, "should’ve told them we’re friends." Tiger -- played by Kenan Thompson -- responded that he did and it didn't work! Savage.

Next up ... Melania Trump, where things go from messy to straight-up unhinged. She floats the idea of giving a random speech denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s response? Says it sounds "a little insane."

And last but not least -- Pete Hegseth jumps into the mix -- portrayed as a war-hungry loose cannon giving wild updates about Iran, with jokes suggesting world leaders might actually prefer bombs over more U.S. negotiations.

President Donald Trump berated a reporter on the White House Lawn Saturday ... telling her she doesn't know a darn thing about Iran.

POTUS spoke to several reporters waiting for him outside the White House round 5 PM ET today ... and, one asked a question about why the Strait of Hormuz isn't open yet.

Check out the clip ... the prez is clearly unhappy about it -- and, he tells her "You know nothing" before asking which outlet she represents.

Eric Swalwell's senior staffers are distancing themselves from him ... while acknowledging not everyone has the means to do so.

Top staffers for Swalwell's congressional office and his gubernatorial campaign released a joint statement ... which begins with indignation over his alleged abusive behavior.

The two sides stand with their former colleague who accused Swalwell of raping her in 2024 and other women who have come forward and accused the congressman of sexual misconduct.

Eric Swalwell's campaign for governor looks like it's on life support ... top Democrats are calling on him to drop out of the race as his campaign reportedly "implodes."

The congressman had gathered a ton of support from his fellow Dems in Congress -- but after a former staffer accused him of rape, that support quickly evaporated.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she's had a conversation with Swalwell, urging him to end his campaign, according to NBC News reporter Melanie Zanona ... so the allegations against him can be fully and fairly investigated.

A former staffer for Eric Swalwell told CNN the congressman raped her back in 2024.

CNN ran the interview Friday afternoon ... hiding the woman's face to protect her anonymity while she told a story about meeting up with Swalwell for a drink in 2024.

This woman says she went to the bathroom at one point in the evening and completely blacked out ... only remembering a snippet of the night's events -- during which she says she remembers trying to force Swalwell off of her and telling him she didn't consent to sex with him.

President Donald Trump's staff apparently doesn't have to worry about breaking federal law at all ... because a new report says he's offered to pardon them en masse, repeatedly.

The Wall Street Journal released a new report Friday ... claiming POTUS has repeatedly promised top administration officials he will pardon them before he leaves office in January 2029 -- usually jokingly, like when he reportedly said recently, "I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval."

Unnamed administration officials told WSJ Trump often jokes about matters he later pursues seriously ... and the frequent references have led some to believe he might be genuinely considering the pardons. It's unclear why they'd need them.

Rep. Eric Swalwell -- who's running for Governor of California -- has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer ... this according to a new report.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a woman, who says she had sexual encounters with the congressman while she worked for him, claims he sexually assaulted her twice ... when she was too intoxicated to give consent.

Swalwell called the allegations "false" and threatened "legal action" in a statement on Friday, saying ... "For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."