What began as a story on the seemingly incomprehensible death of congressional regional director Regina Santos-Aviles by self-immolation last fall has evolved into a larger national question of how Congress responds, or fails to respond, to misconduct by its own members.
As evidence emerged contradicting U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales’ (R-TX-23) earlier denials of an extramarital affair with Aviles, such as text messages showing graphic communications of him pursuing a sexual relationship with his staffer, the story expanded beyond the tragedy into a political and institutional test: whether voters will signal to Congress that sexual misconduct carries electoral consequences if lawmakers fail to swiftly police their own.
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