A second former female staffer has accused Texas Republican congressman Tony Gonzales of sending sexually explicit messages, according to reports from the San Antonio Express-News and NBC News.
The woman, who served as Gonzales’s political director during his 2020 campaign for Congress, told the San Antonio Express-News that the congressman asked her “more than a dozen times to send nude photos over a period of three days, and persisted each time she declined”. She described the behaviour as “sexual bullying”.
Gonzales, who is married and a father of six, allegedly also attempted to initiate a sexual relationship over several weeks and visited her home twice, though the staffer said the relationship never became physical. “We didn’t so much as touch,” she told the newspaper.
The allegations come after Gonzales admitted in March to having an affair with a separate aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide last year. As a result of the affair, the House ethics committee launched an investigation, prompting Gonzales to end his re-election bid. He has said he intends to serve out his current term until January 2027.
The former political director told NBC News she decided to come forward after hearing about Santos-Aviles’s death. She resigned from Gonzales’s team after he took office, citing political differences, and later volunteered for his opponent, Brandon Herrera. Gonzales’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
