A prominent supporter of President Donald Trump is facing fresh controversy after reportedly being accused of soliciting private photos from another aide, according to emerging reports.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, is facing fresh allegations of sending explicit text messages to a former campaign staffer in 2020. The claims come months after he admitted to an affair with another aide who later died by suicide.
The San Antonio Express-News reported Monday, April 6th, that screenshots of messages from June 2020 show Gonzales asking his then-political director for explicit photos on several occasions and pressing to turn their professional relationship sexual.
The former staffer told the newspaper she never sent the photos and that no physical contact occurred.
Gonzales, who represents a district that includes parts of San Antonio, admitted earlier this year to an affair with Regina Santos Aviles, a former district office staffer. He described the relationship as “a mistake” and “a lapse in judgment.”
Santos Aviles died by suicide in September 2025. Gonzales has said her death was unrelated to their relationship.
The new report includes messages that the newspaper said originated from Gonzales’s cell phone number. Campaign finance records confirm the woman worked on his 2020 campaign, when he was running for Congress for the first time.
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Messages Detail Repeated Requests
According to the Express-News, the exchanges began with Gonzales asking about the woman’s dating life and what she wore to bed. The messages then turned explicit, with requests for intimate photos and descriptions of sexual acts. One message reportedly read: “I know what I want and won’t stop until I get it.”
The former staffer said she turned down the requests multiple times. In the reported texts, Gonzales replied that “47 nos is about my limit” and continued asking for photos over the following days.
The woman, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said she decided to come forward after learning of Santos Aviles’s death.
“He obviously pursued, pursued, pursued her like he did with me,” she told the Express-News. “I never took him serious… It wasn’t until this poor girl died that I thought, ‘No, this guy is pure evil.’”
She added: “This behavior needs to stop.”
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Gonzales’s office did not respond to requests for comment from the Express-News or other outlets.
Earlier Scandal Led to Withdrawal
The 2024 affair with Santos Aviles became public after her husband discovered messages and announced the relationship in a group text to Gonzales’s staff. The case drew a House Ethics Committee investigation. Gonzales withdrew from a Republican primary runoff in March 2026 and will leave Congress when his current term ends in January 2027.
House rules prohibit members from having sexual relationships with staff.
Why This Matters
These allegations add to questions about Gonzales’s conduct with women who worked for him. The reported messages involve a campaign staffer in 2020 and a congressional aide in 2024, spanning years in which he held increasing responsibility as a member of Congress.
The details come directly from text records and statements by the women involved, not from outside analysis. Gonzales has not denied the authenticity of the messages in public statements so far.
