Regina Santos-aviles texts intensify calls for Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign
Newly released text messages tied to regina santos-aviles, a former aide who died by suicide last year, have prompted bipartisan calls for the resignation of Rep. Tony Gonzales. The disclosures sharpen scrutiny of Gonzales as he heads into a primary election next week and pile pressure on Republican colleagues to take a stance.
Bipartisan outrage follows Monday's disclosures
On Monday, the publication of text messages between Gonzales and a former aide generated calls for him to leave office from lawmakers across the aisle. Representative Lauren Boebert wrote "Resign!" in a social media post that included images of the text messages. Representative Anna Paulina Luna urged colleagues to condemn Gonzales for "asking for explicit photos" of a member of his staff, and Representative Nancy Mace said he should resign immediately instead of "campaigning like nothing happened. "
Regina Santos-aviles' messages, the aide who provided evidence and her death
Regina Santos-Aviles, identified in the messages as a former aide, is said in one text to have had an extramarital affair with Gonzales; she died by suicide last year. A former aide to Gonzales came forward saying Santos-Aviles had told him about the relationship. That aide, who asked not to be named citing a fear of retaliation, provided a text message in which Santos-Aviles wrote she "had an affair with our boss. " The same evidence was shared with other news organizations.
New disclosures: explicit messages and a lawyer's statement
This week a lawyer for Santos-Aviles' husband disclosed additional, sexually explicit text messages that the GOP congressman allegedly sent to his former aide. The authenticity of the texts has not been independently verified, and the messages have been reviewed in detail by multiple news organizations.
Gonzales' denials, accusations and the looming primary
Gonzales has long denied having a sexual relationship with his former aide and has said little publicly as the primary approaches. He has recently accused his primary rival, YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, and Santos-Aviles' husband of trying to blackmail him. Despite the mounting controversy, former President Donald Trump formally endorsed Gonzales last week, and that endorsement remains in place.
Division within the GOP and calls to step aside from some Republicans
Responses among Republicans have been mixed but increasingly critical. Texas Representatives Chip Roy and Brandon Gill stopped short of calling for Gonzales' immediate ouster but urged him to end his re-election campaign in light of the allegations. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the underlying allegations "serious" and said he has urged Gonzales to address the controversy "in an appropriate way with his constituents. "
The chain of disclosures — the hometown newspaper publishing a text from Santos-Aviles about an affair, a former aide providing that text while asking to remain anonymous, new explicit messages disclosed by a lawyer, and public pressure from colleagues — has left Gonzales facing intensified scrutiny in the days before voters go to the polls.
