"I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions. Since then, I've reconciled with my wife, Angel. I've asked God to forgive me, which he has. And my faith is as strong as ever."
"I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else was. He went on to allege that Santos-Aviles's husband, Adrian Aviles, asked the congressman for money or else, claiming Aviles launched a coordinated effort to extort him."
"The congressman denied any improper relationship with Santos-Aviles, even after alleged text messages obtained by Juliegrace Brufke of 24sight News showed that Gonzales made explicit sexual requests to his late congressional staffer who repeatedly resisted."
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) initially denied having an improper relationship with his congressional staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died by self-immolation in September 2025. Text messages allegedly showed explicit sexual requests from Gonzales that Santos-Aviles repeatedly rejected. Despite calls for resignation from five Republican House members and failing to secure 50% in a primary runoff, Gonzales refused to step down. The day after the runoff and following the House Ethics Committee's announcement of an investigation, Gonzales admitted to the affair on a conservative talk show, claiming he had reconciled with his wife and sought forgiveness. He denied involvement in Santos-Aviles's death and alleged her husband attempted extortion.
#congressional-scandal #sexual-misconduct #ethics-investigation #political-resignation-calls #staffer-death
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