US Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas claimed Thursday he was being "blackmailed" following a report he allegedly had an affair with a former staffer who later died after she set herself on fire, the AP reports. The claim by the married Republican congressman comes after the San Antonio Express-News reported that it had obtained text messages in which the former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to a colleague that she had an affair with the lawmaker. The Associated Press has not independently obtained copies of the messages. On Thursday, an attorney for Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles' husband, said the husband had found out about the affair prior to his wife's death.
A spokesperson and an attorney for Gonzales, who is running for reelection in Texas' March 3 primary, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. On social media, the congressman posted a partial screenshot of an email from the husband's attorney and accused him of seeking money. "I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED," Gonzales wrote in a post on the social media site X on Thursday. "Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death." In the email posted by Gonzales, attorney Robert Barrera discussed a possible lawsuit against the lawmaker and a potential settlement with a nondisclosure agreement. The email says that the maximum recoverable amount is $300,000.
Barrera denied he was trying to blackmail Gonzales. "It is a desperate attempt to make him look again like a political victim," Barrera told the AP in a phone interview on Thursday. "There's no blackmail here. I mean, it's just ridiculous allegations." According to Barrera, the email that Gonzales posted online was part of back-and-forth discussions he had been having with the lawmaker's attorney after Aviles decided he wanted to recover damages through a potential lawsuit on behalf of his wife under the Congressional Accountability Act. The act provides legal protection for employees in the legislative branch against harassment, discrimination or retaliation.
Gonzales has been endorsed by President Trump and is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, who narrowly lost to Gonzales in 2024. Herrera has called on Gonzales to resign in the wake of the report. Barrera said his client wants the lawmaker to acknowledge the alleged affair. "There's nothing political here. There's no demand for him to resign. That's up to the voters of that district, whether they want a man like Tony Gonzales to lead them into the future," Barrera said. (The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.)
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