Texas Rep. denies affair allegations after tragic death of aide

The water cooler gossip that gets printed in what are supposed to be reputable publications is rather astonishing to me.

A prime example of that was the report that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was having an affair with his aide, Regina Santos-Aviles.

The rumors came out after she set herself on fire and later died from injuries.

Tragedy Strikes

What could ever bring a person to dousing themselves with gasoline and lighting a match, I have no idea, but that is what Regina Santos-Aviles did to herself.

Santos-Aviles was a Uvalde, TX, resident, so there is no telling what brought her to this point in her life (this was where a mass school shooting had taken place).

According to the reports, Santos-Aviles had doused herself with gasoline, then lit herself on fire. Her mother found her begging for water and badly burned.

Emergency services were called, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she died. Her mother stated, “The last thing she said is, ‘I don’t want to die.’ And they told her, ‘We will do our best to make sure we get you taken care of.’”

The Affair

After Santos-Aviles, an unnamed source claimed that she and Rep. Gonzales were having an affair.

When the report went public, her mother denied the report, saying that it was “completely false” and that the report had “no merit.”

After her death, Gonzalez did not comment on the rumor, only stating, “We are all heart-stricken by the recent news. Regina devoted her profession toward making a difference in her community.

“She will always be remembered for her passion toward Uvalde and helping the community become a better place.”

Addressing the Rumors

Whoever reported on this and the person claiming to have this knowledge, in my opinion, is about as slimy as it gets. The woman is dead, and she cannot defend herself, but now this is the last image the family has of her.

Gonzalez finally addressed the rumors this week, stating, “The rumors are completely untruthful, and Regina’s family has asked for privacy.”

He later added, “In politics, you have to have thick skin, and my name is on the door and so people are throwing rocks at me saying really nasty things, that’s where we get that.”

This game just gets uglier and uglier by the day. Just let this woman rest in peace, and leave her family alone.