The Absurd GOP

[Angrboda]

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales long tried to duck questions about an alleged affair with a former aide who died by suicide, but that strategy has now brutally backfired.

Gonzales ignored requests from local news stations—who were even uninvited from an event the married Republican was attending—for months after the scandal surfaced. He also dodged the scandal when cornered on camera, likely hoping the issue would disappear until after his primary.

Now, a bombshell report by the San Antonio Express-News has renewed national attention to the vulnerable, Trump-endorsed candidate in the first week of early voting, placing his alleged infidelity fresh in the minds of Texas voters heading to the polls.

A Gonzales staff member is quoted as alleging that the 45-year-old lawmaker did “nothing” when made aware that the woman he had an affair with—Gonzales’ former regional district director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles—was in a deteriorating mental state.

Not long after, in September, the 35-year-old Santos-Aviles set herself on fire outside her home in the Texas Hill Country, the local medical examiner said.

Gonzales did not immediately address the death of Santos-Aviles, ABC’s San Antonio affiliate KSAT reported at the time. Instead, the station reported that Gonzales released a statement only after being approached for comment, saying he was “heart-stricken.” He then went radio silent on the matter—ignoring more than 15 requests for information from the news outlet.

Similarly, Gonzales’ office did not respond to two requests for comment from the Daily Beast on Wednesday. However, it issued a statement to the conservative New York Post suggesting that the Express News article was a hit piece orchestrated by his opponent, Brandon Herrera.

Gonzales told the tabloid 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.”

How MAGA Congressman Tried to Run From Bombshell Affair Rumor