‘I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED’: Republican Accused of Having Affair With Aide Who Killed Herself Speaks Out

(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) declared on Thursday that he “WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED” following a report suggesting an aide committed suicide after an alleged affair with the congressman.

“I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death. The public should IMMEDIATELY have full access to the Uvalde Police report,” Gonzales wrote on X.

The congressman included a message from a lawyer offering a non-disclosure agreement and settlement.

The San-Antonio Express News first published a recent report in which a former Gonzales staffer claimed that 35-year-old Regina Ann Santos-Aviles suffered depression after her alleged affair with Gonzales was discovered in text messages. She set herself on fire and committed suicide in September 2025.

In an April 2025 text, she acknowledged the affair, according to a screenshot of an alleged message.

“I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine,” one screenshot read, according to the New York Post.

“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,” Gonzales, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in December, told the Post.

Daily Mail and others have also reported on the alleged affair, long before Express News published the staffer’s comments.

Adrian Aviles, the husband of the deceased staffer, told Express News he discovered the alleged affair when he caught his wife texting the congressman in May 2024. The relationship, he said, was “very sexual” based on the messages exchanged.

“I said the truth would come to light when it’s time, and the time is now,” he said. “Tony abused his power. He should have held himself to a higher standard as a congressional leader.”

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