A Republican congressman who spent years stabbing conservatives in the back just got hit with bombshell allegations about his personal life.
Multiple sources confirm Congressman Tony Gonzales — the same RINO who voted for gun control and same-sex marriage — carried on a secret affair with a senior aide who died tragically last month after reportedly dousing herself in gasoline.
And now Uvalde police are refusing to release evidence in what looks like a textbook political cover-up to protect one of the establishment’s favorite moderates.
Married Congressman’s Aide Dies in Horrific Tragedy
Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, died September 14 after suffering catastrophic burns at her Uvalde home the night before.¹ The married mother of an eight-year-old son who worked as Gonzales’ regional district director poured gasoline over herself in her backyard and became engulfed in flames, according to investigators.²
Her estranged husband Adrian Aviles — who runs a video surveillance business — had installed cameras at Regina’s home that captured the horrifying final moments.³ The footage has been handed over to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for analysis.⁴
Regina’s mother Nora Gonzales (no relation to the congressman) found her daughter burned and pleading for water.⁵ "The last thing she said is, ‘I don’t want to die,’" Nora recalled.⁶ The family insists the incident was a tragic accident, not intentional.⁷
What drove a dedicated public servant and mother to such desperation? The answer might lie in her relationship with her boss — a married father of six who Texas conservatives have been trying to throw out of office for years.
Sources Confirm Affair Between RINO Congressman and Staffer
Sources told the Daily Mail that Gonzales began a romantic relationship with Santos-Aviles shortly after hiring her in 2021.⁸ The affair allegedly continued "for some time" before her death.⁹
Santos-Aviles was frequently seen at Gonzales’ side during high-profile events, including Elon Musk’s September 2023 border tour in Eagle Pass when the area was considered the epicenter of the border crisis.¹⁰ While Gonzales was busy positioning himself as a border hawk for the cameras, he was allegedly carrying on an extramarital affair with a staff member paid with taxpayer dollars.
Adrian Aviles knew about the affair before his wife’s death, according to sources.¹¹ The couple had separated after he learned of the relationship earlier this year but continued co-parenting their son.¹²
Gonzales did not attend Santos-Aviles’ funeral on September 25, sources confirmed.¹³ For a man who claimed to care so much about his Uvalde constituents after the school shooting, he couldn’t be bothered to show up when one of his own staffers died under tragic circumstances.
The congressman’s office issued a terse statement calling reports of the relationship "a distortion of a tragedy for political purposes" but notably did not deny the allegations.¹⁴ That’s Washington, D.C. speak for "we got caught."
Uvalde Police Refuse to Release Evidence — Protecting Their Pal?
The Uvalde Police Department has refused to release critical records related to Santos-Aviles’ death, including the 911 call, surveillance video, and police investigative reports.¹⁵
The department petitioned for approval to withhold the materials, citing an "ongoing investigation" — a move the Daily Mail noted is highly unusual.¹⁶
Law enforcement agencies typically release similar records even during active investigations. But Uvalde police have decided the public doesn’t need to see evidence about the death of a congressional staffer allegedly involved with her married boss.
The police chief’s Facebook endorsement of Gonzales right in the middle of this investigation tells you everything you need to know. Uvalde City Council member Ernest Santos raised the issue publicly, asking "What if, at the end of the election, someone else wins, and then we have to be worried about losing funding?"¹⁷
Police Chief Homer Delgado — who called Santos-Aviles a friend he’d worked with on various projects — has maintained there’s "no indication of foul play" and that surveillance footage confirms she was alone when the fire began.¹⁸
Then release the evidence. If there’s nothing to hide, why petition to keep it sealed? This is exactly how the swamp protects its own.
The RINO Who Betrayed Texas Conservatives at Every Turn
Conservatives tried to warn voters about Tony Gonzales. They tried to stop him. But establishment money kept this backstabber in office.
The Texas Republican Party censured him in March 2023 by a vote of 57-5 for voting to support same-sex marriage protections, opposing hardline GOP border security legislation, and backing gun control measures after the Robb Elementary School shooting.¹⁹
Let that sink in — his own party censured him 57-5. When you lose Texas Republicans by that margin, you’re not a moderate. You’re a Democrat in Republican clothing.
He was one of only 14 House Republicans nationwide — and the ONLY one from Texas — to vote for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022.²⁰ The legislation expanded background checks for gun buyers under 21 and provided millions for states to implement red flag laws.²¹ Every single other Texas Republican said no. Gonzales said yes.
He was the sole Texas Republican in the House to oppose the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023, calling fellow Texas Rep. Chip Roy’s legislation "un-American."²² The only Texas Republican who thought border security was "un-American." Let that sink in.
He voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022 along with only 46 other House Republicans, codifying same-sex marriage recognition.²³ He also cast the lone Republican vote against the House rules package after Kevin McCarthy became speaker.²⁴
Grassroots Conservatives Nearly Threw Him Out
Conservative colleagues like Matt Gaetz and Bob Good endorsed Brandon Herrera — a Second Amendment activist known as "The AK Guy" on YouTube with over 3.2 million subscribers — in a primary challenge against Gonzales.²⁵
Grassroots conservatives rallied behind Herrera. They’d had enough of Gonzales voting with Democrats on guns, immigration, and marriage. They wanted a real Republican representing Texas.
Gonzales barely survived that May 2024 runoff, winning with just 50.7% of the vote.²⁶ He didn’t win because Texas Republicans wanted him. He won because establishment-allied super PACs dumped more than $4 million in TV advertising to save his seat.²⁷
Four million dollars from Washington, D.C. swamp creatures to protect their favorite RINO. That’s how the game works.
During the brutal primary fight, Gonzales showed his true colors. He called conservative colleagues "real scumbags" who "walk around with white hoods" and labeled his primary opponent a "neo-Nazi" intent on "burning the place down."²⁸
When you can’t defend your record, you smear the people calling you out. Classic establishment playbook.
Local Republican officials in his district complained for years. Sandra Sassano, Republican Party chair for Maverick County which includes Eagle Pass, said Gonzales’ border visits were "all a show" with the media.²⁹ El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said he’s never even met Gonzales despite the congressman representing part of El Paso. "The working relationship is non-existent," Leeser wrote.³⁰
Julie Clark, former Medina County Republican Party Chair who authored the censure resolution, said she had "a flood of complaints coming in not only in my county, but across the district on Tony’s voting results."³¹
The people on the ground knew what he was. The establishment in Washington, D.C. didn’t care.
Uvalde Police Have a History of Cover-Ups
This isn’t the first time Uvalde authorities have been caught hiding evidence to protect powerful people.
After the May 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, the city of Uvalde hired a private law firm to help block the release of body camera footage, photos, 911 calls, emails and other records.³²
The city petitioned Texas Attorney General’s office for approval to withhold materials, with a city attorney writing the records could include "highly embarrassing information."³³
That pattern of secrecy destroyed public trust in Uvalde’s law enforcement leadership. The Justice Department later issued a scathing report detailing "cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy and training" during the school shooting response.³⁴ Attorney General Merrick Garland said lives could have been saved had law enforcement acted sooner.³⁵
Now Uvalde police are once again refusing to release evidence while petitioning the Attorney General to keep records sealed — this time involving the death of a congressional staffer allegedly having an affair with their political patron.
The optics couldn’t be worse. But when you’re protecting a congressman the establishment wants to keep in office, transparency takes a back seat.
The Questions No One in Power Wants to Answer
Regina Santos-Aviles devoted herself to constituent services in a border town grappling with immigration challenges and still healing from the school massacre.³⁶ Her death left an eight-year-old boy without his mother. Her family insists she loved life and didn’t want to die.³⁷
What drove this dedicated public servant and loving mother to such a desperate act? Was she in over her head in a relationship with a married congressman? Did she fear the affair becoming public? Was there pressure from Gonzales or his office?
The surveillance footage that captured her final moments might provide answers. The 911 call could shed light on what emergency responders found. Police investigative reports might explain why she was so distraught that night.
But Uvalde police have decided protecting a congressman is more important than transparency.
Advocacy groups and media organizations have filed Freedom of Information Act requests demanding the evidence be released.³⁸ The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office and Texas DPS Crime Laboratory are still working to determine the official cause and manner of death.³⁹
Gonzales has gone radio silent since the allegations surfaced, abruptly canceling media appearances and public events.⁴⁰ His campaign scrubbed promotional materials featuring endorsements from local figures like the Uvalde police chief.⁴¹
For a congressman who positioned himself as the reasonable guy willing to buck his party on controversial issues, Gonzales seems awfully unwilling to answer straightforward questions about his relationship with a deceased staffer paid with taxpayer money.
This Is How the Swamp Protects Its Own
This story isn’t just about one RINO congressman and a tragic death. It’s about a system that protects politicians who serve the establishment instead of the people who elected them.
Gonzales voted against conservative principles at every turn. Texas Republicans censured him. Grassroots conservatives tried to throw him out in a primary. He barely survived with 50.7% — only because Washington, D.C. swamp creatures dumped $4 million to save him.
Now he’s caught up in an alleged affair with a staffer who died under horrific circumstances. And local police — the same department that covered up their failures during the school shooting — are refusing to release evidence.
The family of Regina Santos-Aviles deserves the truth about what happened to their loved one. The voters of Texas’s 23rd District deserve to know if their congressman was carrying on an extramarital affair with a staff member paid with their tax dollars.
And the American people deserve to see how the establishment protects politicians who serve them instead of us.
Gonzales is facing another primary challenge in 2026 from Brandon Herrera.⁴² Susan Storey Rubio is also running, calling Gonzales "a spineless moderate who didn’t do a thing to stand up to Joe Biden and the Democrats."⁴³
This time, conservatives know exactly what they’re dealing with. A RINO who betrayed them on guns, immigration, and marriage. A congressman allegedly carrying on an affair with a staffer. A politician protected by establishment money and local police willing to seal evidence.
Texas Republicans deserve better. And in 2026, they’ll get their chance to make it right.
¹ Multiple news organizations, "Uvalde Staffer Death Investigation," MySA, September 2025.
² Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department Report, cited in Uvalde Leader-News, September 2025.
³ Daily Mail, "Congressman Affair Investigation," October 20, 2025.
⁴ Uvalde Police Department Statement, September 2025.
⁵ Nora Gonzales interview, San Antonio Express-News, September 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Daily Mail, "Congressman Affair Investigation," October 20, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Congressman Gonzales’ office statement, cited in The Maverick Times, October 20, 2025.
¹⁵ Daily Mail, "Congressman Affair Investigation," October 20, 2025.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ Ernest Santos quoted in Augusta Free Press, October 20, 2025.
¹⁸ Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado statement, September 2025.
¹⁹ Texas Republican Party Executive Committee vote, March 4, 2023.
²⁰ CBS News, "Gonzales Primary Runoff," May 29, 2024.
²¹ Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provisions, 2022.
²² Fox News, "Texas GOP Censures Gonzales," March 4, 2023.
²³ Wikipedia, "Tony Gonzales Political Positions."
²⁴ Ibid.
²⁵ Texas Tribune, "GOP Primary Challenges Gonzales," February 22, 2024.
²⁶ CBS News, "Gonzales Primary Runoff," May 29, 2024.
²⁷ Ibid.
²⁸ Texas Tribune, "Gonzales Reelection Primary," February 22, 2024.
²⁹ Texas Tribune, "GOP Primary Challenges Gonzales," February 22, 2024.
³⁰ Ibid.
³¹ Ibid.
³² Newsweek, "Uvalde Records Blocked," June 18, 2022.
³³ Ibid.
³⁴ Texas Tribune, "Uvalde Investigations Status," March 29, 2024.
³⁵ Ibid.
³⁶ Congressman Gonzales statement, San Antonio Express-News, September 2025.
³⁷ Nora Gonzales interview, San Antonio Express-News, September 2025.
³⁸ Michael R. Cronin, "Bombshell Allegations," October 20, 2025.
³⁹ Lawyer Monthly, "Gonzales Aide Death Investigation," October 2025.
⁴⁰ Michael R. Cronin, "Bombshell Allegations," October 20, 2025.
⁴¹ Ibid.
⁴² Ballotpedia, "Texas 23rd District 2026 Race."
⁴³ Ibid.
