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Texts show Rep. Tony Gonzales sent sexually explicit messages to staffer
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Texts show Rep. Tony Gonzales sent sexually explicit messages to staffer

#Tony Gonzales #Sexual misconduct #Congressional ethics #Primary election #Republican party #Suicide #Text messages #Political scandal

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Rep. Tony Gonzales sent sexually explicit texts to a former aide before her suicide
  • The messages resurfaced amid an investigation into an alleged affair and ahead of his March 3 primary
  • Several Republican colleagues have called for Gonzales to resign or end his campaign
  • Gonzales has framed the allegations as politically motivated attacks timed to influence the election

📖 Full Retelling

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexually explicit text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair before her death by suicide last year, messages obtained by NBC News show. In a series of late-night exchanges from May 9, 2024, Gonzales asked his then-staffer Regina Santos-Aviles to 'send me a sexy pic' and inquired about her 'favorite position' before mentioning multiple sexual acts. The aide eventually responded by telling the congressman, 'this is too far, Tony,' and questioned whether he hired her because she was 'hot.' The explicit messages, confirmed as authentic by Santos-Aviles' widower's lawyer, have resurfaced as Gonzales faces a competitive Republican primary on March 3, 2026, against pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera. The Office of Congressional Conduct has concluded an investigation into the alleged affair, though House rules prevent the report from being transmitted to the Ethics Committee so close to the primaries. Several Republican colleagues have called for Gonzales to resign or end his campaign, including Reps. Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Anna Paulina Luna, who described the text messages as 'disgusting.' House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had previously endorsed Gonzales, called the allegations 'very serious' and said the congressman must address them appropriately with his constituents.

🏷️ Themes

Political Scandal, Congressional Ethics, Election Impact

📚 Related People & Topics

Sexual misconduct

Misconduct of a sexual nature; legal term in some jurisdictions

Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature that exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, sexual harassment and/or criminal sexual assault. Howev...

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Republican Party

Republican Party

Topics referred to by the same term

Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, a reference to Republicanism, a political ideology.

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Tony Gonzales

Tony Gonzales

American politician (born 1980)

# Tony Gonzales **Ernest Anthony Gonzales II** (born October 10, 1980) is an American politician and United States Navy veteran serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he assumed office in 2021. His district is notable for encomp...

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Primary election

Primary election

Election that narrows the field of candidates before an election for office

Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open primary", in which all voters are eligible to participate...

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Sexual misconduct:

👤 Tony Gonzales 2 shared
🌐 Royal family 1 shared
👤 Jeffrey Epstein 1 shared
👤 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor 1 shared
👤 Virginia Giuffre 1 shared
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Original Source
Texts show Rep. Tony Gonzales sent sexually explicit messages to staffer Ahead of his March 3 primary, the Texas Republican faced an Office of Congressional Conduct investigation into an alleged affair with a staff member, who died by suicide in September. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, at the U.S. Capitol on March 25, 2025. Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images file Share Add NBC News to Google Feb. 23, 2026, 5:23 PM EST By Melanie Zanona , Ben Kamisar and Ryan Nobles Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexual text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair before her death by suicide last year, messages obtained by NBC News show. In a series of late-night messages from May 9, 2024, Gonzales asked his then-staffer to “send me a sexy pic.” He went on to ask her “favorite position” and then mentioned multiple sexual acts. The aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, eventually replied by telling the congressman, “this is too far, Tony.” “Please tell me you didn’t just hire me because I was hot,” Santos-Aviles wrote. “No way,” Gonzales replied. NBC News obtained the text messages and confirmed their authenticity with Bobby Barrera, the lawyer for Santos-Aviles’ widower, Adrian Aviles. Barrera previously said he was working with his client to release text messages to confirm Aviles' accusation that his late wife had been in a romantic relationship with Gonzales. The text messages, which only include messages exchanged during part of one day, do not address whether there was a physical relationship between the two. The San Antonio Express-News and 24Sight News first published the text messages. Gonzales’ office did not return a request for comment Monday. NBC News reported last week that the Office of Congressional Conduct has concluded an investigation into the alleged affair, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. According to House rules , it is not allowed to transmit its report to the...
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