Gonzales under inquiry over alleged affair with staffer who set herself on fire
Rep.Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is under an ethics investigation by the Office of Congressional Conduct over alleged involvement with his wife and former regional district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide last year after a nearby incident. The investigation sought emails, texts, instant messages, and voicemails from January 2023 to September 2025 and planned to interview people connected to the case, according to a letter dated November 25, 2025. NBC News later reported that the OCC had concluded the inquiry but could not forward its report to the House Ethics Committee as of a 60-day pre-election window; Gonzales’s primary election was approaching. Gonzales has denied the affair and suggested he was being blackmailed by Santos-Aviles’s husband, who allegedly sought a $300,000 settlement. The article notes Gonzales is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera.
Tony Gonzales under ethics investigation over alleged affair with staffer who died by suicide
The Office of Congressional Conduct opened an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales’s (R-TX) alleged affair with a staffer who died by setting herself on fire.
A letter obtained by the San Antonio Express-News showed investigators sought text messages, emails, and other communications about the relationship, asking Adrian Aviles, the widower of former congressional staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, to provide any information he had on the affair last year.
The office requested “emails, text messages, instant messages, and voicemails” from January 2023 to September 2025, and it said investigators were seeking to interview people involved. The letter, sent on Nov. 25, 2025, reportedly shows the investigation had begun earlier than that month, as it needed to clear other thresholds before contacting Aviles.
NBC News reported Friday afternoon that the OCC concluded its investigation but cannot transmit its report to the House Ethics Committee because it falls within a 60-day window before an election, as Gonzales’s primary election is just less than two weeks away.
Authorities said Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself outside her home and set herself on fire, and died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio last year. Police ruled the death a suicide.
Aviles told the San Antonio Express-News earlier this week that Gonzales engaged in an affair with his wife, who was the congressman’s regional district director. The outlet had previously published a text message, shared by a former Gonzales staffer, in which Santos-Aviles acknowledged the affair.
Gonzales claimed he is being blackmailed by the husband, posting a note on X from the lawyer of Aviles requesting a $300,000 settlement. Aviles responded promptly to the post, denying the allegation.
HUSBAND OF TONY GONZALES STAFFER WHO DIED BY SUICIDE CALLS ON REPUBLICAN TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY
The Texas Republican has denied the affair. The three-term congressman is facing a heated primary challenge from Second Amendment activist Brandon Herrera. Gonzales narrowly defeated Herrera in 2024 for the Republican nomination, with the 2026 primary slated for March 3.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Gonzales’s office and the Office of Congressional Conduct for comment.
Rachel Schilke contributed to this article.
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