Two months after his alleged mistress doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire, Congressman Tony Gonzales finally addressed cheating accusations with his former aide for the first time.
Appearing Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, the Republican lawmaker who represents the border and San Antonio denied he had a relationship with his former regional director Regina Aviles.
‘The rumors are completely untruthful. I am generally untrusting of these outlets,’ Gonzales said to reporter.
‘Regina’s family has asked for privacy. If it was your family or any of our families, I would argue that you would want privacy as well. I don’t know exactly what happened. Nobody has contacted me. I haven’t contacted anyone. I’m waiting for a final report. I think that would make a lot of sense.’
Daily Mail was first to report that Aviles’ death has been ruled a suicide, after she doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire at her Uvalde, Texas home on September 13.
Even though her death has been ruled a suicide by self-immolation, the medical examiner’s office in Bexar County told Daily Mail it would be a few more weeks before a final report and autopsy on Aviles’ death is available.
Sources who spoke with the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity said that Aviles and the married congressman became romantically involved after she joined his staff in November 2021.
Gonzales’s spokesman didn’t engage when repeatedly offered the opportunity to deny the affair by the Daily Mail. But his office did offer a comment.
‘Regina Aviles was a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death,’ a spokesman for Gonzales told the Daily Mail on October 7.
Hellbound and Down 