Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) reportedly pursued a sexual relationship with another one of his former staff members, according to newly released text messages.
The disgraced congressman reportedly sent vulgar messages to his campaign’s political director in 2020, including asking her for nude photos and about “what kind of panties” she wore. The new report from the San Antonio Express-News unveils the latest scandal enveloping Gonzales, who dropped his reelection bid in March after admitting to an affair with a married staffer who later died by suicide.
In the text messages from 2020, Gonzales reportedly told his political director that he wanted to have sex with her and wanted her to “squeeze my balls.” Gonzales reportedly asked her over a dozen times for nude photos, requests which she denied. He then allegedly sent a text saying, “47 nos is about my limit.”
In an interview with the outlet, Gonzales’s former political director said she came forward with her story after hearing of the suicide of his other former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles.
“He obviously pursued, pursued, pursued her like he did with me,” she said. “I never took him serious… It wasn’t until this poor girl died that I thought, ‘No, this guy is pure evil.’”
According to the Express-News, Gonzales attempted to pursue a sexual relationship with his former political director for multiple weeks. The two met at her home twice for work purposes and “didn’t so much as touch,” she told the outlet.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Gonzales’s office for comment.
Gonzales, who is married with six children, is currently under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics for his affair with Santos-Aviles.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment,” Gonzales said in March during a podcast interview. “I take full responsibility for those actions.”
Gonzales, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, said he would serve out the rest of his congressional term as he announced he was forgoing his bid for a fourth term.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement on March 5.
REP. TONY GONZALES ADMITS TO AFFAIR WITH STAFFER WHO DIED BY SUICIDE: ‘LAPSE IN JUDGMENT’
When Gonzales forfeited his reelection bid, Brandon Herrera automatically became the Republican nominee for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. The two had been in a runoff for the GOP nomination in the red district.
Gonzales’s former political director, who came forward with the text messages, is now a volunteer for Herrera’s campaign.