Rep. Tony Gonzales aide who self-immolated admitted affair with lawmaker, text shows

WASHINGTON — An aide to Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted that she had an affair with the Texas Republican in a text message to a colleague — months before she fatally set herself on fire.

Regina Santos-Aviles appeared to acknowledge the tryst early on the morning of April 28, 2025, saying: “I had [an] affair with our boss and I’m fine,” according to a screenshot of the exchange obtained by The Post.

Santos-Aviles’ confession to her co-worker was first reported by the San Antonio Express-News, which withdrew its endorsement of Gonzales in the March 3 Republican primary, saying the congressman “has questions to answer.”

That Sept. 13, Santos-Aviles covered herself in gasoline before lighting herself ablaze in the backyard of her Uvalde, Texas, home.

The 35-year-old wife and mother of one worked as a regional director for Gonzales in the Lone Star State’s 23rd Congressional District, which comprises much of the area of west Texas bordering Mexico, including the western outskirts of San Antonio.

Gonzales, who is running for re-election to a fourth House term this November, has said that the purported fling, which was first reported by the Daily Mail, was just “people throwing rocks at me, saying I’m doing nasty things.”

“In politics, you better have thick skin,” he told local station KSAT this past November during The Texas Tribune Festival. “I totally get that, but the rumors are completely untruthful.”

Attempts to contact the married Gonzales, 45, were not immediately successful Wednesday morning.

This past October, Regina’s mother claimed to The Post that reports of her daughter’s affair with Gonzales taking place after she split from husband Adrian Aviles were also “completely false.”

“I don’t think it has any merit,” she said at the time.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office decided in December to seal 911 calls, police reports and other video of the tragic suicide in response to media requests.

Javier Guerra, an attorney for Adrian Aviles, has said that his client had expressed concern about his late wife’s private records being released.