Republican Tony Gonzales allegedly pressured Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide, into a sexual relationship
U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales is pushing back against mounting pressure from members of his own party to resign, following allegations that he carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Gonzales is accused of sending sexually explicit messages in which he appeared to urge the senior aide to send personal images and, according to reports, ultimately coerced her into a sexual relationship.
The Texas Republican, who is currently seeking re-election, told reporters on Tuesday that he had no intention of stepping down. “There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts. And there will be ample time for all of that to come out,” he said.
Thomas Massie joined Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna, Nancy Mace, and several other Republicans in calling for Gonzales to resign immediately. Their demands followed similar appeals on Monday from Texas Republicans Brandon Gill and Chip Roy. “America deserves better,” Gill said while backing Gonzales’s chief rival. “Tony should drop out of the race.”
Mace also said she had introduced a resolution requiring the House ethics committee to publicly release broader reports and documentation related to sexual harassment allegations involving members of Congress.
House speaker Mike Johnson said earlier Tuesday that he planned to speak with Gonzales directly about the claims. Johnson said the accusations “must be taken seriously,” but stopped short of urging resignation. Donald Trump endorsed Gonzales’s re-election campaign in December.
“In every case like this, you have to allow the investigation to play out and all the facts to come out,” Johnson said. “If the accusation of something is going to be the litmus for someone being able to continue to serve in the House, a lot of people would have to resign or be removed or expelled from Congress.”
Tony Gonzales
Gonzales is already locked in a difficult re-election battle that has now been thrown into further chaos. He faces a competitive Republican primary on 3 March that could jeopardize his seat, with his leading GOP challenger being Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and firearms influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in 2024.
The race has become so unsettled that there is growing speculation Democrats could potentially flip the district. The three-term congressman has denied having an affair and previously claimed on social media that he is being blackmailed, describing the accusations as politically motivated.
However, he has not publicly addressed newly released text messages in which he allegedly asked the former staffer for intimate photos and discussed sexual activity.
The San Antonio Express-News reported last week that it had obtained messages in which the former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, told a colleague she had an affair with the married lawmaker.
The outlet later published additional messages Gonzales allegedly sent to Santos-Aviles, 35, in May of last year, including one sent at 12.15am on 9 May that read: “Send me a sexy pic.”
Further messages reportedly show the father of six asking about her preferred sex positions and engaging in sexual fantasies. According to multiple Texas media outlets, Santos-Aviles indicated that Gonzales was crossing boundaries.
In a message to another staffer, Santos-Aviles reportedly wrote: “I had an affair with our boss.”
Santos-Aviles, a married mother of an eight-year-old son, died in September at her home in Uvalde, Texas. Her death was later ruled a suicide.
