Rep. Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former staffer, calling it a "mistake"
📖 Full Retelling
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that he had a relationship with a former staffer, but alleged the controversy that has engulfed the situation is "about power and money."
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Original Source
Politics Rep. Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former staffer, calling it a "lapse in judgement" By Joe Walsh , Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh , Patrick Maguire Patrick Maguire Patrick Maguire is an Associate Producer at CBS News based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Patrick Maguire March 4, 2026 / 9:07 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that he had a relationship with a former staffer who later died by suicide, but alleged the controversy that has engulfed the situation is "about power and money." "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," he told conservative radio host Joe Pags when asked if the alleged affair took place. "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." CBS News has obtained a text exchange from May 2024 in which Gonzales sent explicit messages to former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, asking her to send a "sexy pic." At one point, Gonzales responds: "This is going too far boss." CBS News has also obtained a message in which Santos-Aviles told a colleague: "I had affair with our boss and I'm fine." Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire. Her death was ruled a suicide. Gonzales said in Wednesday's interview: "I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing. And in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else." The lawmaker spoke to Pags one day after the GOP primary in his House district along the U.S.-Mexico border. Gonzales and hard-right challenger Brandon Herrera will both advance to a runoff election in May after neither candidate cleared 50% of the vote. He also spoke out just hours aft...
Read full article at source