Calls grow for Texas Rep. Gonzales to resign over allegations of affair with ex-staffer
Gonzales faced calls from fellow Republicans to resign after a report of an alleged affair with a former staffer.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates MyNorthwest.com, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The page identifies the Associated Press as the reporting source, and the article carries an AP dateline and attribution. AP is a major wire service with established editorial standards and corrections practices.
- Source type — Reporting is attributed to the Associated Press, a major wire service.
- Transparency — The AP attribution and reporting locations are identified.
- Editorial standards — The article distinguishes reported allegations from facts independently verified by AP.
- Author attribution — The page identifies AP and names contributing journalists.
The article attributes the central allegation to a newspaper's report, explicitly notes that AP did not independently obtain the messages, and includes responses from Gonzales and the staffer's husband's attorney. The underlying messages are not independently verified in the story, and the article provides limited detail about any formal investigation.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports the calls for resignation and the underlying allegation while including Gonzales' claims and the attorney's denial of blackmail. It also acknowledges that AP had not independently obtained the messages, though it offers limited independent evidence about the alleged affair.
- Counterarguments presented — Includes Gonzales' blackmail and political-attack claims and the attorney's denial.
- Source diversity — Draws on the newspaper report, statements by lawmakers, Gonzales and an attorney.
- Omitted context — The messages are not independently obtained or verified by AP, a limitation the article states.
- Loaded language — The article uses restrained language and attributes claims to their sources.
The article reports the allegations, calls for Gonzales to resign and responses from Gonzales and the attorney without using noticeably partisan language.
- Language tone — Uses attributed, matter-of-fact language about the allegations and reactions.
- Source selection — Includes statements from critics as well as Gonzales and the attorney who disputes the blackmail claim.
- Framing — Frames the story around growing resignation calls and identifies the allegations as allegations.
Republished with credit
Republished from Associated Press, with credit to the original publisher.
345 stories · 94.5–95.2 · updated Oct 11, 2026
This is Associated Press's own score, and this article is credited to Associated Press. The host score in the Source Check is MyNorthwest.com's.
Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales faced growing calls from fellow Republicans to resign after a newspaper reported messages in which a former staffer said she had an affair with him. Gonzales said he was being blackmailed, while the staffer’s husband’s attorney denied that claim.
Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales faced calls from several fellow Republicans to resign after the San Antonio Express-News reported text messages in which former staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles wrote that she had an affair with him. The Associated Press said it had not independently obtained the messages. Santos-Aviles died in September 2025, and the medical examiner ruled her death a suicide by self-immolation.
Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace called for Gonzales to step down. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the accusations must be taken seriously but that an investigation should play out. Gonzales said he was being blackmailed and targeted by coordinated political attacks; the staffer’s husband’s attorney denied trying to blackmail him.
Gonzales was facing a Republican primary against Brandon Herrera, with voting scheduled for March 3. President Donald Trump had endorsed Gonzales in December.
Community verdict
22 VOTES
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Gonzales' opponent in the Texas Republican primary
South Carolina representative calling for Gonzales to resign and introducing a resolution on ethics records
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Kentucky representative calling for Gonzales to resign
Colorado representative calling for Gonzales to resign
Florida representative calling for Gonzales to resign
Part of a bigger story
34 OUTLETSOutlets report newly surfaced texts that appear to show Gonzales making sexual requests to a former staffer, followed by calls from Republican colleagues for him to resign or leave his reelection race. Left-leaning outlets link the allegations to Republican accountability, with some criticizing party leaders’ handling of the calls for Gonzales to step aside. Center outlets focus on the reported messages and the range of responses, including resignation demands, denials, and calls to await further facts. Right-leaning outlets emphasize the messages and Republican pressure, with some connecting the controversy to Gonzales’s primary prospects.
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