Tony Gonzales Pressured to Resign After Newly Released Texts Spur Bipartisan Calls
Newly released text messages between Rep. tony gonzales and a former aide have prompted bipartisan calls for his resignation, raising fresh questions about the congressman days before next week’s primary election in Texas.
Tony Gonzales faces bipartisan calls to step down
On Monday, the disclosure of explicit text messages produced public demands that Tony Gonzales leave office. Representative Lauren Boebert, a hard-right Republican from Colorado, wrote “Resign!” in a social media post that included images of the messages. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican on the House Oversight Committee, urged colleagues to condemn Gonzales for “asking for explicit photos” of a member of his staff. Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said Gonzales should resign immediately instead of “campaigning like nothing happened. ”
What the newly released texts and earlier allegations show
The controversy follows earlier reporting last week in The San Antonio Express-News about a text from Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide who said she had an extramarital affair with Gonzales; Santos-Aviles died by suicide last year. A different former aide to the congressman told the Express-News he was told about the relationship and provided a text message in which Santos-Aviles said she “had an affair with our boss. ” That same aide asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation, and shared the evidence with.
Lawyer disclosure and media review of messages
This week, a lawyer for Santos-Aviles’ husband disclosed additional, sexually explicit text messages that the GOP congressman allegedly sent to his former aide. MS NOW has not independently verified the authenticity of the texts; they were reviewed in detail by, The San Antonio Express-News, The, NBC News, Politico and The Texas Tribune.
Political fallout inside the GOP and endorsements
Not all Republican colleagues called for immediate ouster. Texas Reps. Chip Roy and Brandon Gill stopped short of demanding resignation but urged Gonzales to end his re-election campaign in light of the allegations. At the same time, Donald Trump formally endorsed Gonzales last week, and that endorsement remains intact. The congressman has continued to deny wrongdoing and has accused his primary rival, YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, and Santos-Aviles’ husband of trying to blackmail him.
House leadership response and the clock on the primary
Pressed for answers, House Speaker Mike Johnson conceded the allegations are “serious, ” and said he has urged Gonzales to address the controversy “in an appropriate way with his constituents. ” Gonzales has said very little publicly as the Texas primary approaches next week, leaving uncertainty over whether his congressional career will end prematurely.
Next on the calendar is the primary election in Texas next week, the immediate confirmed event that could shape how colleagues and voters respond to the disclosures.
