Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) “abused his power” when he allegedly had an affair with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who later fatally set herself on fire, the woman’s widower said Wednesday in his first public remarks about the tragedy.
Adrian Aviles argued that the married congressman should be held accountable for becoming romantically involved with his wife, a subordinate of Gonzales who was reportedly iced out by the Texas Republican after the alleged affair was exposed.
“I said the truth would come to light when it’s time, and the time is now,” Aviles said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News. “Tony abused his power. He should have held himself to a higher standard as a congressional leader.
“I hope that Tony will stand up and be accountable for his actions,” he added.
Aviles, 40, explained that he discovered the alleged affair on the night of May 31, 2024, when he returned home from a jiu-jitsu class and noticed Santos-Aviles texting Gonzales.
“I kind of looked over her shoulder, and I saw that she was texting Tony,” Aviles recalled.
When he questioned her about the messages, his wife told him, “You’re not going to like what you see.”
After taking the phone away from his wife and leaving the house, Aviles said he found texts from Gonzales to Santos-Aviles that were “very sexual in nature.”
It appeared that Gonzales had been having an affair with Santos-Aviles for at least two weeks, the husband said.
On Sept. 13, 2025, Santos-Aviles covered herself in gasoline before lighting herself ablaze in the backyard of her Uvalde, Texas, home. She died of her injuries the following day.
Aviles said he’s speaking out now because he “couldn’t bear to sit by” and listen to Gonzales “lie on my wife’s name.”
The lawmaker has not denied that he had an affair with Santos-Aviles.
Gonzales told The Post in a statement Wednesday — before the San Antonio Express-News published its interview with Aviles — that he was “not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.”
“Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place,” he said. “Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before.”
“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,” the lawmaker added.
