Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales has hit back at calls for him to resign, as more details continue to emerge about an alleged affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Gonzales is accused of having an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles in 2024 while both were married.
Santos-Aviles, who was also a mother, later died after setting herself on fire in September 2025.
A former Gonzales staffer told The San Antonio Express-News that the affair was known to several people in the office and that he had informed the district director about his concerns for his friend’s well-being.
After Santos-Aviles died, the staffer resigned and switched to working on Democratic campaigns, feeling that he could no longer “sell” Gonzales’s message.
Now, several of Gonzales’s own colleagues in the House are calling for him to resign, but the congressman has remained defiant.
“I’m not gonna resign. I work every day for the people of Texas,” he told a journalist from CNN on Tuesday. “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 an ample time for all of that to come out.”
Although Gonzales made the comments while leaving Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, a source told The Hill that the two Republicans did not meet. The source claimed that Gonzales had arrived at Johnson’s office unannounced while the speaker was in a meeting.
Johnson described the scandal as “detestable” during an interview on CBS Evening News, ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“My understanding is he’s denied a lot of this, and we’re trying to sort it out,” he continued. “Now, it has been reported that the Office of Congressional Conduct is investigating this, and has been for some time.
“And what we do here is we allow all the facts to play out.”
Other Republicans have been more critical, with Representative Nancy Mace calling for Gonzales to “resign immediately.”
“These text messages are disgusting and inexcusable,” she added, referencing a series of texts between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales. “A Member of Congress. Harassing his own staffer in the middle of the night.
“Asking for explicit photos,” Mace continued. “Pressing her on sexual positions. Regina Santos-Aviles told him he was going too far. He did not care. He kept going.”
Mace has since announced that she has filed a resolution to release reports from investigations into sexual harassment violations by members of Congress.
Representative Lauren Boebert was more blunt, posting a reply to several images of text messages allegedly sent by Gonzales.
“RESIGN!” she wrote.
In one of the several text messages shared with CBS News, Gonzales allegedly asked Santos-Aviles for a “sexy pic” in May 2024. After a brief exchange, his staffer said that she did not like taking photographs of herself.
“I’m just such a visual person,” he replied. “Sorry.”
In another exchange, Gonzales reportedly asked what Santos-Aviles’ “favorite position” was. When Santos-Aviles asked the congressman to answer first, he did so.
“This is going too far boss,” Santos-Aviles responded. “So how long have you thought I was this hot?”
She later wrote again, “This is too far, Tony.”
Santos-Aviles died at the Brooke Army Medical Center in the early hours of September 14.
She passed away after setting herself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt a day earlier, according to a report from the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, seen by Texas Public Radio.
The Uvalde Police Department told the broadcaster that there was no suggestion of foul play in the incident.
The former, unnamed Gonzales staffer, who spoke to The San Antonio Express-News, said that his friend’s mental state had deteriorated after her husband discovered the alleged affair and informed district staffers that he knew about it.
Bobby Barrera, an attorney representing Santos-Aviles’s widower, told the newspaper that the affair was “common knowledge” in Gonzales’s office.
When asked about whether the alleged relationship played a role in the late mom’s suicide, he said, “I don’t think so.”
Gonzales defended himself in a statement given to various media outlets. In the fiery statement, he accused his rival in the upcoming Republican primary, Brandon Herrera, of trying to “smear” Santos-Aviles’ memory.
“Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place,” he wrote. “Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, health care, and rural water like never before.
“It’s shameful that Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started,” he continued. “I am not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.”
The lawmaker is facing a tight primary challenge on March 3, as he goes head-to-head with Herrera once again. Herrera is a gun rights influencer who came close to defeating Gonzales in 2024.
He has also joined calls for Gonzales to resign, taking to social media to describe the messages, allegedly sent by the congressman, as “disgusting.”
Herrera also hit back at accusations that he was trying to smear his opponent through Santos-Aviles’ death.
“You blame me? Are you kidding me?” he wrote on X. “Tony Gonzales is an irredeemable coward, who dodges accountability and lies to the people.”
Adrian Aviles, the widower of the late staffer, has also denied blackmailing Gonzales.
“We have never blackmailed anyone,” he wrote on X. “What we’ve seen instead is a consistent pattern of evasion, refusal to take accountability, and outright lies to protect your image.”
The Independent has contacted Representative Gonzales for comment.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
