‘RESIGN’: GOP Lawmakers Turn on Texas Congressman Accused of Demanding ‘Sexy’ Photos From Aide Who Later Set Herself on Fire

Republican House members are turning on one of their own, Congressman Tony Gonzales, who allegedly demanded sexual photos from an aide who later committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Mr. Gonzales has not denied allegations that he had an affair with the now-deceased aide, and is claiming that her widower is trying to blackmail him.Mr. Gonzales represents a swing district in west Texas which stretches from the suburbs of El Paso to the city of San Antonio. Elected in 2018, he has survived serious challenges from both Republicans on his right flank, as well as from well-funded Democratic opponents. Just one week before the 2026 primary election, Mr. Gonzales is now facing the real possibility of losing to a right-wing challenger after new details of his alleged affair with an aide are emerging. On Monday, 24SightNews first reported that Mr. Gonzales had sent racy text messages to the aide, Regina Aviles, in 2024. In one message sent at 12:15 AM, Mr. Gonzales asked Aviles to send him a “sexy pic” — a request Aviles declined. When the congressman followed up with a demand that she “hurry” and send the photo, Aviles asked, “Is this a test?”“I just don’t like taking pictures of myself,” she wrote to her boss. “I’m just such a visual person,” he responded.Mr. Gonzales followed up with additional questions, asking what her favorite sexual position was and if she liked anal sex. “This is going too far boss,” she responded. “So how long have you thought I was this hot?”Aviles asked Mr. Gonzales if he had been drinking. He said in response that he was sober. “Please tell me you didn’t just hire me because I was hot,” Aviles wrote in another message. Mr. Gonzales wrote back saying that that was not the case. After the text messages were made public, two of Mr. Gonzales’s Republican colleagues openly criticized him on social media. One lawmaker, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, called on Mr. Gonzales to resign from the House. Another House Republican, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, stopped short of telling Mr. Gonzales to step down, though she did say that he should abandon his re-election campaign. She said that this incident is representative of a broader disrespect for women and staffers on Capitol Hill, however. “The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff. As a woman, this is really disgusting to see,” Mr. Luna wrote on X on Monday. “Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives.”“I am so sick of people not calling this crap out. Again, like I’ve said before, this is not the only case of this crap up here,” she continued. “@RepTonyGonzales, shame on you.”A third Republican lawmaker, Congressman Brandon Gill — a fellow Texan — also asked Mr. Gonzales to quit his re-election campaign on Monday. “America deserves better,” Mr. Gill wrote on X.Later in the day on Tuesday, Congresswoman Nancy Mace also issued a statement calling on Mr. Gonzales to resign immediately, calling the text messages “deeply disturbing.”“Congressional staff serve their country. They should never have to endure predatory behavior from the people they work for. Congressman Gonzales must address these allegations and resign,” Ms. Mace wrote.Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday told reporters that Mr. Gonzales is entitled to due process, and that the investigation into his alleged conduct ought to be investigated before he passes judgment. “There are serious accusations and it must be taken seriously,” the speaker said as he walked into his office. “It is my understanding that there’s an investigation in the state of Texas on these matters and it has been going for some time.”“The Office of Congressional Conduct is also — it’s been reported — they’ve been looking at it,” he added. “As in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out.” When asked if Mr. Gonzales deserves to win re-election this year, Mr. Johnson did not respond. Mr. Gonzales’ Republican primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, has also called on the congressman to step down. Mr. Herrera lost the 2024 primary to Mr. Gonzales by only one point. Mr. Gonzales has not denied that he had had an affair with Aviles. His hometown newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News, first reported that Aviles told a colleague about the affair before she committed suicide. In response, Mr. Gonzales said that this is a blackmail campaign being run by Aviles’ widower, who learned of the affair before her death and began the process of divorcing her. “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED,” Mr. Gonzales wrote on X after the Express-News first reported Aviles’ claims of an affair before her suicide. “Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death.” In that post, Mr. Gonzales shared a partial screenshot of an email, seemingly from Aviles’ widower’s lawyer, who was asking for a $300,000 payment for his client in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement.

‘RESIGN’: GOP Lawmakers Turn on Texas Congressman Accused of Demanding ‘Sexy’ Photos From Aide Who Later Set Herself on Fire

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