The husband of the woman Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is accused of having an affair with, and who died after setting herself on fire, is calling on the Texas Republican to take accountability.
Adrian Aviles, widower of Regina Santos-Aviles, confirmed the affair between his estranged wife and Gonzales during an interview with the San Antonio Express-News. The outlet had previously published a text message, shared by a former Gonzales staffer, in which Santos-Aviles acknowledged the affair.
“I said the truth would come to light when it’s time, and the time is now,” Aviles told 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,” Aviles said.
Gonzales has continued to deny the affair, despite the surfaced text involving the representative’s subordinate.
Last year, authorities said Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself outside her home and set herself on fire, where she later died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio. Police ruled the death a suicide. The 35-year-old was the congressman’s regional district director.
Speaking for the first time about his wife, Aviles said he wants their son to know he tried to protect her reputation.
“I would feel like my son, when he gets older, I want him to know that I made an attempt to clear his mother’s name,” he said.
In the Zoom interview, Aviles said he “couldn’t bear to sit by” while Gonzales denied the affair and let him “lie on my wife’s name.”
Aviles said he learned of the affair in 2024 when he saw his wife texting Gonzales, adding the texts were “very sexual in nature” and that the congressman requested Santos-Aviles to send him photos of her. He said the two had been romantically involved for a few weeks at that point.
After his discovery, Aviles said the two tried to repair their marriage before ultimately splitting a few months later, after he said he texted both Gonzales and members of his staff that he knew of the affair and wanted to make it public.
Aviles said the office then gave his wife a month off and tried to push her out. He went on to say that after all of it unfolded, his wife started “spiraling,” as she continued to express that she “wanted her family back.”
“I don’t think that it was an intentional act,” Aviles said of his wife’s death. “I think it was a cry for help. It was a cry for help that turned into a tragedy.”
Gonzales has been under scrutiny in recent months after the affair surfaced from the tragic death of Santos-Aviles. He is facing a tough primary challenger, Brandon Herrera, as early voting is open in Texas for the primary on March 3. Herrera has called on Gonzales to resign after the San Antonio Express-News reported confirmation of the affair.
“Tony Gonzales must resign,” Herrera wrote. “He not only broke House ethics rules by having an adulterous affair with a member of his congressional staff and by using taxpayer money to fund the affair, but he also broke trust with the public by insisting that the initial reporting of the affair was false.”
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Gonzales has tried to remedy the situation by denying the affair and putting the focus back on his campaign, as election day is less than two weeks away.
“Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place,” Gonzales said in a statement Wednesday. “Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before. It’s shameful that 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. I am 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.”