Another Staffer Accuses Tony Gonzales of Hundreds of Sexually Explicit Messages
The big picture: A former campaign staffer says Texas Representative Tony Gonzales sent her hundreds of sexually explicit messages in 2020, repeatedly asking for nude photos and sex despite being turned down. This comes weeks after Gonzales admitted to a 2024 affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. A Republican congresswoman says she’s reviewed even more unpublished messages and called it “telltale predator behavior.” The House Ethics Committee is investigating.
Why it matters: This isn’t one incident. The 2020 messages, the 2024 affair, and reports of additional explicit communications point to a documented pattern of a sitting congressman pursuing subordinates. The staffer came forward after learning about Regina Santos-Aviles, saying: “It wasn’t until this poor girl died that I thought, ‘No, this guy is pure evil.’”
The messages: A local Texas outlet obtained hundreds of texts between Gonzales and his 2020 campaign political director. He repeatedly asked for nude photos and specific sexual acts. She repeatedly turned him down. The staffer acknowledged sometimes responding to explicit messages with her own but was clear: “We didn’t so much as touch.” Their relationship never became physical.
Why she came forward now: “I got used to just having to blow off things guys say. Because every single time you say something, you end up the bitch.” She decided to speak after learning about Santos-Aviles: “He obviously pursued, pursued, pursued her like he did with me. This behavior needs to stop.”
The escalation: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) says she’s reviewed additional unpublished messages, calling it “telltale predator behavior” and saying: “If I could expel him tomorrow, I would.” The House Ethics Committee is investigating. Reports say this is “only the tip of the iceberg.”
The politics: Republicans hold a razor-thin House majority. Expelling Gonzales costs a seat. There are informal talks about pairing his expulsion with a vote to expel Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (charged with stealing $5M in FEMA money) to make it bipartisan. Nothing is confirmed.
By the numbers:
100s — sexually explicit messages from 2020
2 — separate staffers who have come forward (2020 political director, 2024 affair)
1 — razor-thin vote margin in the House GOP majority
0 — statements from Gonzales on the latest accusations
The bottom line: A woman stayed quiet because she knew what happens to women who speak up. She came forward after another woman who faced the same pattern didn’t survive. The messages are documented. The Ethics Committee is investigating. A Republican congresswoman wants him expelled. AND the House majority is so thin that the political math may end up mattering more than the moral one. That tells you everything about where the bar is for accountability in Congress right now.
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