1 month ago
A 2nd erstwhile female staffer for Tony Gonzales, a Republican congressman from Texas, has travel guardant claiming Gonzales sent her sexually definitive messages.
The San Antonio Express-News first reported nan matter messages connected Monday and NBC News later confirmed nan report.
In March, Gonzales admitted to having an matter pinch a abstracted aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by termination past year. Neither nan San Antonio Express-News nor NBC shared nan sanction of nan 2nd staffer, citing policies astir sharing nan names of victims of intersexual harassment, but some confirmed she served arsenic nan governmental head of Gonzales’s 2020 run for Congress. Before that, she served successful nan service and worked arsenic a defense contractor.
The San Antonio Express-News obtained hundreds of matter messages that Gonzales allegedly exchanged pinch his erstwhile governmental head successful 2020, which reportedly show he asked her “more than a twelve times to nonstop nude photos complete a play of 3 days, and persisted each clip she declined”. The congressman “also attempted to initiate a intersexual narration complete respective weeks”, according to nan report.
“I telephone it intersexual bullying,” his erstwhile governmental head told NBC News connected Monday. “It’s benignant of for illustration dealing pinch a toddler. I conscionable kept trying to redirect him.”
Although Gonzales allegedly visited her location twice, nan staffer said nan narration ne'er became physical. “We didn’t truthful overmuch arsenic touch,” she told nan San Antonio Express-News.
Gonzales is joined and a begetter of six children. He has said he intends to service retired his existent term, which runs until January 2027, but dropped retired of his re-election run aft nan House morals committee announced an investigation into his narration pinch Santos-Aviles, who died successful September 2025.
Gonzales’s governmental head told nan San Antonio Express-News that her boss’s messages made her uncomfortable but not capable to discontinue her job. After Gonzales took office, she resigned from his team, citing governmental differences, and began volunteering for Brandon Herrera, a weapon authorities advocator who ran against Gonzales successful March. After Gonzales halted his re-election campaign, Herrera became nan Republican nominee for his spot successful Congress.
The erstwhile governmental head told nan San Antonio Express-News that she decided to travel guardant pinch her communicative aft proceeding astir Santos-Aviles’ decease successful March.
Gonzales’s agency didn’t instantly respond to nan Guardian’s petition for comment.
