The last week has not been a good one for Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX).
He has slipped in polling in his race, and texts were leaked by his former aide, who killed herself via self-immolation.
Gonzales has denied the rumors about an affair with the aide, but now the woman’s husband has broken his silence, making matters worse for Gonzales.
The aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, reportedly covered herself in a flammable liquid, went into her backyard, and lit herself on fire.
After word of her death circulated, the Texas Republican stated, “We are all heart-stricken by the recent news. She will always be remembered for her passion towards Uvalde and helping the community become a better place."
Rumors immediately began to fly about an alleged affair between the two, but Gonzales stayed mum for about a month.
When he did finally address the rumors, he vehemently denied any affair and shamed people for sullying this woman’s name.
This week, texts reportedly sent from Santos-Aviles to a friend revealed that the two of them had an alleged affair.
The text stated, “I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine.”
When that report went live, Rep. Gonzales again pushed back, “Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place. Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before.”
He continued, “It’s shameful that [primary rival] Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started.”
To this point, the denials by Gonzales, who has been endorsed by Trump in his race, have gone unchallenged. That just changed.
Santos-Aviles’ husband, Adrian Aviles, has broken his silence, stating, “I said the truth would come to light when it’s time, and the time is now. Tony abused his power. He should have held himself to a higher standard as a congressional leader.” He continued, “I hope that Tony will stand up and be accountable for his actions.”
Aviles claimed that he discovered the affair almost two years ago when he came home and saw his wife texting with the congressman. When he inquired about the texts, she told him, “You’re not going to like what you see.” He explained the texts were sexual in nature, and the couple eventually separated over the issue.
Gonzales was already backpedaling in this race, and I don’t see how he can recover from this now that the husband has spoken on the matter. Public opinion on this has surely already formed, and guilty or innocent, this is going to destroy his career.
