A newly revealed 2024 textual content trade seems to point out that Rep. Tony Gonzales inspired one among his aides to ship him an specific photograph — main the aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, to push again. Simply over a 12 months later, the staffer died after setting herself on hearth.
The texts have drawn further scrutiny to the Texas Republican, who’s now going through bipartisan criticism over his alleged affair with Santos-Aviles. An lawyer for the staffer’s husband alleged to CBS Information final week that Gonzales coerced Santos-Aviles right into a sexual relationship. Gonzales has denied the affair prior to now, and has claimed he’s being extorted.
CBS Information has obtained a set of texts that have been extracted from Santos-Aviles’ telephone that present a dialog between Gonzales and the late staffer.
Within the trade, which came about after midnight in early Might 2024, Gonzales requested for a “attractive pic.” After a back-and-forth, Santos-Aviles mentioned she did not like taking pictures of herself. He responded in a pair of texts: “I am simply such a visible particular person” and “Sorry.”
The congressman then requested Santos-Aviles what her “favourite place” is. She requested him to reply first, and he did.
The aide then texted: “That is going too far boss. So how lengthy have you ever thought I used to be this scorching?”
After one other back-and-forth, Santos-Aviles mentioned once more: “That is too far, Tony.”
Santos-Aviles later mentioned to Gonzales: “Please inform me you did not simply rent me as a result of I used to be scorching.”
“No method,” Gonzales writes.
A number of weeks after that trade, Santos-Aviles’ husband, Adrian Aviles, realized about their alleged relationship, he beforehand informed the San Antonio Specific-Information.
Then, the next month, Aviles appeared to ship a textual content from Santos-Aviles’ telephone to Gonzales and several other different staffers in his workplace. In that message, he wrote that he’d found “she’s been having an affair on me along with your boss Tony Gonzales for a while now.”
Aviles’ lawyer, Bobby Barrera, informed CBS Information final week that Santos-Aviles’ psychological well being declined sharply following the top of her alleged relationship with Gonzales — one thing he blamed on the congressman’s conduct.
Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after she was discovered critically burned close to her house in Uvalde, Texas, in response to the native police division. The Bexar County Medical Examiner dominated the dying a suicide, in response to CBS affiliate KENS.
The circumstances main as much as her suicide will not be clear.
In an interview with CBS Information on Monday, Aviles mentioned he desires to rebut Gonzales’ denials of the affair and to exhibit that “this isn’t one thing that is been fabricated.”
“You ended a household due to your predatorial instincts,” mentioned Aviles, who has an 8-year-old son with Santos-Aviles.
The brand new particulars about Gonzales’ alleged relationship are coming to mild because the congressman fights for reelection. His district alongside the U.S.-Mexico border is taken into account a protected GOP seat, however Gonzales is going through a major problem subsequent week from gun rights activist Brandon Herrera, who misplaced to Gonzales by fewer than 400 votes in 2024. President Trump has endorsed Gonzales. Herrera known as for Gonzales to step down final week.
A handful of congressional Republicans criticized Gonzales after the 2024 textual content trade emerged on Monday.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado urged Gonzales to resign and prompt that Home Republicans’ marketing campaign arm ought to begin financially supporting Herrera. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina additionally mentioned Monday that Gonzales ought to resign, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing” and an “abuse of energy.” And former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia known as the story “surprising and disgusting.”
Herrera additionally drew endorsements Monday from Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and the Freedom Caucus Fund, a political motion committee aligned with members of the hard-right Home Freedom Caucus. Neither endorsement talked about Gonzales.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson informed reporters Monday that the allegations towards Gonzales are “very severe,” however he mentioned “you need to enable investigations to play out.”
Gonzales denied having an affair in November, saying in a panel occasion on the Texas Tribune Competition in Austin that the “rumors are utterly untruthful.”
The congressman additionally accused Barrera of attempting to blackmail him final week. He shared on X a screenshot of a letter from Barrera through which the lawyer seems to suggest a $300,000 authorized settlement with a non-disclosure settlement.
“Disgusting to see folks revenue politically and financially off a tragic dying,” Gonzales wrote.
Barrera denied that allegation, claiming to CBS Information final week that it was truly a regular confidential settlement letter despatched to the congressman’s lawyer.
Aviles informed CBS Information, “This isn’t a ploy for cash.”
CBS Information has reached out to Gonzales’ workplace for remark.
Juliegrace Brufke and Anne Bryson contributed to this report.
