Calls for Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign amid affair allegations with ex-staffer
Herrera says Gonzales should resign, alleging an affair with a congressional staff member and misuse of taxpayer money.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Foxsanantonio, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
KABB is an established local television news outlet, and the story identifies its reporter while attributing some details to the San Antonio Express-News. The account includes both Gonzales’s response and statements from people involved, though key allegations rely partly on an unnamed source and Herrera’s claims.
- Source type — Established local television news outlet with a regional reporting operation.
- Author attribution — The story names a reporter and distinguishes its reporting from material first reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
- Transparency — It describes verification of the messages and identifies when a source requested anonymity.
- Source diversity — Includes Gonzales’s response and statements from Herrera, a lawyer, and local officials, but some central claims remain attributed allegations.
The report describes documentary evidence, explains how the messages were verified, and includes responses and contextual information. Its central claims are still allegations, with important assertions about ethics violations and taxpayer money made by Herrera rather than independently established in the article.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents Gonzales’s response alongside the allegations and Herrera’s demand that he resign, and includes legal and investigative context. Some serious claims are made by Herrera and an unnamed former staffer, without a detailed independent examination of the ethics or taxpayer-money allegations.
- Counterarguments presented — Gonzales attributes the timing to political motives and recalls his earlier denial of relationship rumors.
- Source diversity — Draws on messages, the Express-News, a lawyer, local officials, Gonzales, and Herrera.
- Omitted context — The article does not independently substantiate Herrera’s claims about ethics rules or taxpayer funds.
- Loaded language — Most charged descriptions appear within attributed statements rather than the reporter’s narration.
The story reports allegations and competing statements in largely straightforward language without an evident partisan framing. It attributes the accusation about political timing to Gonzales and the call to resign to Herrera.
- Language tone — Mostly restrained, attributed language describes the allegations and responses.
- Source selection — Includes statements from both Gonzales and Herrera, along with reporting and legal context.
- Framing — The story centers on the emerging allegations and resignation calls, while noting Gonzales’s claim of political motivation.
Republished
Republished from WOAI. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
15 stories · 69–73 · updated Oct 11, 2026
This is WOAI's own score, and this article is credited to WOAI. The host score in the Source Check is Foxsanantonio's.
Newly reported text messages support allegations of a relationship between Rep. Tony Gonzales and a former staffer who later died by suicide. Gonzales says the allegations are politically motivated, while primary challenger Brandon Herrera is calling for him to resign.
News 4/Fox SA reports obtaining text messages in which a former staffer said Regina Santos-Aviles had an “affair with our boss.” The San Antonio Express-News confirmed the messages were sent from Santos-Aviles’ phone number. The lawyer for Santos-Aviles’ husband confirmed that she and Gonzales had a relationship, but said he did not believe it had anything to do with her death. The medical examiner ruled her death a suicide.
Gonzales said the timing of the allegations was politically motivated and accused his Republican primary challenger, Brandon Herrera, of amplifying the story. Herrera called on Gonzales to resign, alleging an affair with a congressional staff member and the use of taxpayer money to fund it. Other Republicans, including State Representative Wes Virdell, also called for Gonzales to step down. The article notes that Gonzales denied relationship rumors in November and that he and Herrera are preparing for a rematch in the Republican primary.
Community verdict
17 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 7
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People in this story
SWIPE →U.S. representative facing allegations of an affair with a former staffer and calls to resign
Gonzales's version of this story ↗President who endorsed Gonzales for the House seat
Part of a bigger story
6 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Brandon Herrera, Tony Gonzales’s Republican primary opponent, called for Gonzales to resign after reports of an alleged affair with a former aide. Left-leaning outlets center Herrera’s resignation demand, with Alternet.org also covering Gonzales’s blackmail claim. Center outlets emphasize the dispute between the candidates and its primary implications; nysun.com additionally highlights criticism of Herrera. Right-leaning outlets foreground a reported text presented as support for the affair allegation alongside Herrera’s call for Gonzales to step down.
- ARTICLES
- 7
- OUTLETS
- 6
- AVG CRED
- 60
- San Antonio Current · Tony Gonzales' primary rival calls him 'sexual predator' after text messages come to light
- Alternet.org · Republican claims he's being blackmailed by widower of former aide
- nysun.com · Affair Scandal Leaves Representative Gonzalez's Texas Seat Vulnerable to Challenger With History of Antisemitic Rhetoric
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