Yet another setback has emerged for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales as investigators determined there is “substantial reason to believe” he slept with an aide who went on to take her own life.
The Office of Congressional Conduct, a nonprofit entity, ruled 6-0 in favor of recommending to the House Ethics Committee that it investigate if Gonzales violated House rules, Politico revealed Wednesday, a day after Gonzales was forced into a runoff primary election.
Politico reports that the OCC determined Gonzales “engaged in a sexual relationship with an employee of the House of Representatives who was working under his supervision.” The House Ethics Committee has since announced it will probe the matter.
Cited in the OCC report were gross texts from Gonzales—a married and a father of six—in which he pestered his 35-year-old regional director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, to sext him.
Texts made public by Santos-Aviles’ widower showed that Gonzales, 45, sent a message to his subordinate just after midnight on May 9, 2024: “Send me a sexy pic.”
Santos-Aviles responded that she was having a rough week and “you don’t really want a hot picture of me.”
Not dissuaded, the congressman continued to push, writing, ”Yes I do,” and “Hurry.”
Santos-Aviles still refused: “No, I just don’t like taking pictures of myself.”
“I’m just such a visual person,” Gonzales answered.
Gonzales went on to ask Santos-Aviles what her favorite sexual position was and described one he wanted to try with her, even after her push back that “this is going too far boss.”
Months later, in September 2024, Santos-Aviles self-immolated outside her home in Uvalde, Texas.
Santos-Aviles was not working for Gonzales at the time of her death, but former staffers told the San Antonio Express-News that she had been iced out by the lawmaker before resigning—a development that occurred after her husband, Adrian Aviles, learned of their affair. Aviles has said that he has more explicit texts between the two, but is withholding them for the sake of their son.
Neither Aviles nor Gonzales’ office responded to a request for comment on Wednesday. However, Gonzales told CNN’s Manu Raju that he planned to finally address the affair later in the day.
Cornered at the Capitol, Gonzales told Raju he was proud of his performance in Tuesday’s election. He finished second to the pro-gun influencer Brandon Herrera, 30, but remained close enough to force a run-off election in late May.
“Not everyone last night was successful,” Gonzales told Raju. “We were successful.”
News — Embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales tells me he’s staying in the runoff and that he plans to address the allegations today. I asked him if he had an affair with the staffer and he would only say he will address it today. pic.twitter.com/JFdej57wNk
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 4, 2026
Multiple GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, Anna Paulina Luna, Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, and Brandon Gill have all called for Gonzales to resign.
Gonzales, who is running for his fourth term, has refused to step aside. He has dismissed the fallout of his sex scandal as “coordinated political attacks.” In one post, in which he was brutally rebutted by critics, including his GOP opponent, the embattled Republican declared he would not be “blackmailed.”
Earlier in the election cycle, Gonzales dodged questions about the allegations. He ignored local reporters in his district, which includes a portion of San Antonio, Texas, and, when confronted, dismissed the affair rumors as untrue.
President Donald Trump has not withdrawn his endorsement of Gonzales.
Other top Republicans in Washington, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have condemned the allegations and said they may warrant investigation—but have stopped short of calling on Gonzales to resign, perhaps in part because of how razor-thin the GOP’s majority in the House is.
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