A newly released text message appears to substantiate rumors that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) had an affair with a staffer who later fatally self-immolated.
Regina Santos-Aviles reportedly sent a message to her co-worker in April 2025 saying she had an affair with Gonzales, who himself is married and has children.
‘You blame me? Are you kidding me?’
“I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine,” the now-deceased 35-year-old aide said in a text exchange obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.
Mere months after this confession, Santos-Aviles set herself on fire in the back yard of her home, passing away from her injuries the following day on September 14, 2025.
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Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Gonzales has repeatedly dodged questions about the nature of his relationship with Santos-Aviles, telling the New York Post in a statement Wednesday that he was “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.”
“Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place,” Gonzales said in the statement. “Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, health care, and rural water like never before.”
Gonzales was nearly successfully primaried in 2024 by Brandon Herrera, a popular gun YouTuber with over four million subscribers, who called the scandal “completely unacceptable.”
“This is completely unacceptable behavior for anyone, let along a sitting member of Congress,” Herrera said in a post on X Wednesday. “Tony must step down.”
Gonzales noted in his statement to the Post: “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.”
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Photo by Scott Stephen Ball for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Herrera responded to Gonzales’ pointed accusations.
“You blame me? Are you kidding me? Tony Gonzales is an irredeemable coward, who dodges accountability and lies to the people,” Herrera said. “This started with my problems with your votes in Congress, but now I understand you are a horrifically wicked man who must be removed.”
Herrera is once again running to unseat Gonzales, who secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump in December ahead of the March 3 primary.
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