Scandal at the Capitol: Regina Santos-Aviles and Congressman Tony Gonzales in Spotlight as “Is Reddit Down” Debates Surge Online

Mo. Basuony

Published: February 24, 2026 10:14 AM ET

regina santos-aviles

In an explosive political controversy weeks before a key election, allegations involving Regina Santos-Aviles and Tony Gonzales, the Texas Republican congressman, have gripped national headlines. At the same time, social media users are asking a very different question: “Is down?”, as some report intermittent issues with the platform. This dual narrative — political scandal in Washington and online infrastructure concerns — has dominated both traditional news and online forums today.

Regina Santos-Aviles and the Rising Tony Gonzales Congress Controversy

Recent revelations surrounding Regina Santos-Aviles, a former senior aide to Congressman Tony Gonzales, have intensified scrutiny on the embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales. New forensic reports include explicit text messages allegedly exchanged between Santos-Aviles and Tony Gonzales, sparking calls for accountability from both political opponents and members of his own party.

Santos-Aviles, who served as a district director for Tony Gonzales in Texas, tragically died by suicide in September 2025. Her widower, Adrian Aviles, has now released messages that suggest an inappropriate relationship with Gonzales, prompting legal and ethical questions about Gonzales’ conduct as a member of Congress.

Explicit Text Messages Surface

The recently disclosed texts from May 2024 show Tony Gonzales, who is married with six children, asking Santos-Aviles for sexually suggestive photos and making repeated advances despite her resistance — behavior that could violate workplace standards and federal House ethics rules.

The publicized messages include Gonzales requesting a “sexy pic” and continuing the conversation even after Santos-Aviles expressed discomfort.

Ethics and Resignation Calls

These revelations have ignited bipartisan pressure:

Some GOP lawmakers — particularly conservative women — have publicly demanded Rep. Tony Gonzales resign his seat.
A challenger in the Texas Republican primary has called for Gonzales to step aside to protect the party’s chances.
Opponents are seizing on the controversy to challenge Tony Gonzales’ leadership and character ahead of critical elections.

Despite the uproar, Gonzales continues to deny wrongdoing and has criticized legal actions as attempts to extract settlements or influence political outcomes.

Congressman Tony Gonzales: Political Fallout in Texas

Tony Gonzales — often identified online as Tony Gonzales Congressman or “Rep. Gonzales” — represents Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Facing a politically volatile reelection landscape, the allegations have forced constituents and lawmakers to reevaluate his future.

The scandal over Regina Santos-Aviles, sometimes cited as an “open secret” within his office before her death, further complicates Gonzales’ legacy and his standing in the Tony Gonzales Congress.

Focus on Ethics and Accountability

Demands for Gonzales’ resignation are rooted in ethical questions about power imbalance, workplace conduct, and transparency — central issues as voters watch closely ahead of early primary contests. The story has drawn national media attention and public debate over accountability for elected officials.

“Is Down?”: Online Users Report Glitches and Outages

While political drama unfolds on Capitol Hill, another question was trending online today: “Is down?” Many users took to social platforms to see if others were experiencing login issues, slow performance, or error messages.

According to real-time status trackers, is currently operational, though in the past 24 hours a spike in error reports appeared, prompting users to ask “is down” across internet forums.

Why Users Ask “Is Down?”

Some users saw increased error rates when posting images or refreshing feeds.
Status services and user reports indicate no ongoing wide-scale outage at this time.
Online outage discussion communities also included users discussing unrelated platform outages, adding to temporary confusion.

For now, technical data suggests that while intermittent issues may occur, is online and accessible to most users.

Public Reaction: Politics Meets Digital Chatter

The juxtaposition of a serious political scandal involving Tony Gonzales, the congressman from Texas, with a widely asked tech question about “is down” reflects the diverse interests of online audiences — from governance and accountability to digital platform reliability.

As the Tony Gonzales controversy continues to unfold and broader accountability questions loom, citizens and internet users alike remain tuned in — whether to Capitol headlines or their favorite social feeds.