{"id":169819,"date":"2026-02-18T14:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/169819\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:56:09","slug":"u-s-rep-tony-gonzales-had-affair-with-staffer-who-lit-herself-on-fire-express-news-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/169819\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales had affair with staffer who lit herself on fire, Express-News reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"U.S.U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales refused to answer the daily\u2019s questions about his alleged affair. Credit: Courtesy Photo \/ U.S. House of Representatives<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales had a romantic relationship with an aide who died last year after lighting herself on fire outside her home, the Express-News reports<\/a>, citing a text message and people close to the Uvalde woman and her family.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio daily is now the third publication to publish a report accusing the Republican South Texas congressman of engaging in an affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, the married office staffer who died in September. Right-wing blog Current Revolt reported on the alleged relationship<\/a> days after her death, and British publication The Daily Mail followed suit<\/a> in October. <\/p>\n

Gonzales, a married three-term congressman and father of six, didn\u2019t respond to a \u201clist of detailed questions\u201d about the accusations, according to the Express-News. <\/p>\n

Gonzales represents Texas\u2019 23rd Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio\u2019s western fringes to El Paso. He\u2019s up for reelection this cycle and faces a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a gun-rights YouTuber whom he narrowly defeated in a primary runoff in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u00a0A one-time staffer from Gonzales\u2019 district office told the Express-News that Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old mother of one, informed him of her romantic entanglement with the congressman in 2024 and reportedly shared a screenshot of a text message she sent admitting to an \u201caffair with our boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

The staffer, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, also told the daily that Santos-Aviles fell into depression after her husband learned about the affair and Gonzales abruptly ended the relationship.<\/p>\n

Bobby Barrera, an attorney for Santos-Aviles\u2019 husband Adrian Aviles, told the Express-News the affair \u201cwas not a secret among the staff.\u201d He added that his client worried about commenting on the matter because of how it could affect the couple\u2019s young son.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo [Aviles], this is personal. To everybody else, it\u2019s political,\u201d Barrera told the daily. \u201cThat\u2019s his son\u2019s mother, and nobody seems to care. They just want to burn Tony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still Barrera told the paper he didn\u2019t think Santos-Aviles\u2019 suicide had anything to do with the purported affair.<\/p>\n

Although Gonzales declined to speak to the Express-News, he publicly denied <\/a>rumors of an affair during a panel at last November\u2019s Texas Tribune Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rumors are completely untruthful, and Regina\u2019s family has asked for privacy,\u201d Gonzales told Punchbowl News Senior Congressional Reporter Andrew Desiderio.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018AK\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tMAGA congressional candidate Brandon Herrera\u2019s jab came in an email boasting that his campaign has raised $1.1 million since August. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Report:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Daily Mail reports Gonzales, a married father of six, had a relationship with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died after setting herself ablaze.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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