Some of MAGA’s leading ladies in Congress have a message for their Trump-endorsed colleague: resign.
MAGA lawmakers Anna Paulina Luna, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace publicly condemned Trump-endorsed lawmaker Tony Gonzales, 45, after a series of newly released messages between him and his one-time regional district director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, revealed the MAGA Texan pushed for a picture and then sent a series of sexually explicit texts despite her warning he was going “too far.”
Santos-Aviles was 35 when she set herself on fire outside her home last September, leaving behind her eight-year-old son.
“The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff,” Luna wrote on X on Monday.
“As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives. I am so sick of people not calling this crap out,” the Florida congresswoman continued.
She added that it was “not the only case of this crap up here,” and tagged Gonzales directly in her message, writing “shame on you.”
As for Boebert, her message to Gonzales was short and simple.
“RESIGN!” the Colorado congresswoman wrote on X on Monday, tagging Gonzales.
Later on Monday, Mace wrote on X: “A young woman is dead. Regina Santos-Aviles took her own life.The allegations against Congressman Tony Gonzales are deeply disturbing: a sitting Member of Congress accused of soliciting explicit photos from a staffer and subjecting her to graphic sexual texts.”
The South Carolina lawmaker went on: “This is an abuse of power. Congressional staff serve their country. They should never have to endure predatory behavior from the people they work for. Congressman Gonzales must address these allegations and resign.”
Santos-Aviles took her own life in September after her husband, Adrian Aviles, learned of her affair with her boss. Now, the widower is going public with his late wife’s texts to push back at Gonzales, who has dismissed the situation as “blackmail” meant to unseat him.
A text thread shared with the San Antonio Express-News shows that Gonzales texted Santos-Aviles just after midnight on May 9, 2024: “Send me a sexy pic.”
Santos-Aviles responded that she was having a rough week and “you don’t really want a hot picture of me.”
That did not dissuade Gonzales, who wrote back, ”Yes I do,” and “Hurry.”
The congressman continued to press Santos-Aviles to sext him, the Express-News reports. He asked her what her favorite sexual position was, described one he wanted to try with her, and, even after her initial refusal and warning that “this is going too far boss,” still asked, “What do you like?”
Santos-Aviles did not have a college degree and began working for Gonzales in 2021. A former aide to Gonzales alleged that the politician did “nothing” when he was informed of Santos-Aviles’ declining mental state.
Not everyone in Congress had such harsh words for Gonzales, who is married with six children. House Speaker Mike Johnson, for one, was characteristically tight-lipped when he spoke to reporters about the unfolding scandal on Monday.
“I think, as in every case, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out,” Johnson said. “I’ve been intellectually consistent about this. whether you’re talking about Republicans or Democrats —you have to let the system play out.”
Meanwhile, MAGA women lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated on Capitol Hill and have shown they are not afraid to buck party leadership. Their attacks on Gonzales, while other GOP members remain silent, come as some Republican women have become emboldened on a range of issues—from the Epstein files to harassment allegations involving fellow Rep. Cory Mills to Luna’s push to force a vote on banning stock trading by members of Congress.
In December, a New York Times report detailed how four Republican congresswomen—Luna, then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Elise Stefanik, and Nancy Mace—lost faith in Johnson’s leadership.
Greene cited “weak Republican men” as part of her motivation for resigning from Congress last year. Mace, meanwhile, wrote in a searing New York Times op-ed last year: “Women will never be taken seriously until leadership decides to take us seriously, and I’m no longer holding my breath.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Gonzales, Luna, and Boebert for comment.
