Newly discovered selfie shows Rep. Tony Gonzales with Regina Santos-Aviles
A newly found selfie of Gonzales with a former district-office employee surfaced amid an Ethics Committee investigation and pressure on his reelection campaign.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
Yahoo News is an established news publisher, and the page identifies an author and signals that the story was published elsewhere. The originating outlet is not identified in the article text, limiting assessment of the reporting organization’s record.
- Source type — An established national news platform, though this article appears to be reproduced.
- Transparency — The page notes prior publication, but does not name the original publisher in the article text.
- Author attribution — A named author is listed.
- Editorial standards — The publisher is established, but this article alone provides limited evidence about corrections or reporting standards.
The report provides specific details about the image and attributes the phone-analysis findings and other new information to the attorney. It includes Gonzales’ stated position and the Ethics Committee’s action, but relies heavily on one attorney as a source and provides limited direct response to the new image.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story attributes key claims and includes Gonzales’ denial of responsibility, but the newly reported details rely largely on the attorney for Santos-Aviles’ husband, without a direct response from Gonzales to the photo or the attorney’s account.
- Counterarguments presented — Gonzales’ stated position is included, but he is not quoted responding to the newly found photo.
- Source diversity — The attorney is the main source for the new evidence and related claims.
- Loaded language — The report largely avoids evaluative language.
The article uses mostly factual language and attributes claims to the attorney, Gonzales, and the Ethics Committee. Its focus on damaging details does not by itself establish a partisan lean.
- Language tone — The language is predominantly descriptive rather than partisan or evaluative.
- Source selection — The attorney is the principal source for the newly found image and the requests for further material; Gonzales’ position and the committee’s action are also reported.
Republished with credit
Republished from San Antonio Express-News, with credit to the original publisher.
Not enough stories yet: 2 of 10.
A newly found selfie shows Rep. Tony Gonzales with Regina Santos-Aviles, a former member of his district-office staff. The report comes amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations against Gonzales and calls from Republican leaders for him to leave his reelection campaign.
A photo recovered from Regina Ann Santos-Aviles’ phone shows Gonzales with his arm around her. Her husband’s attorney said a digital forensics firm found it saved or downloaded to the phone as a text-message attachment on Sept. 8, 2025; when and by whom the photo was taken is unclear. Santos-Aviles died the day after setting herself on fire, according to the article.
Gonzales has said he last spoke with Santos-Aviles in June 2024. The article reports that he acknowledged having an affair with her in 2004 and denied responsibility for her suicide. The House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, and Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders called on Gonzales to abandon his reelection campaign. Santos-Aviles’ husband’s attorney said members of Congress had asked for additional material related to the affair.
Community verdict
29 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Representative facing an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct
Speaker of the House who called on Gonzales to abandon his reelection campaign
Part of a bigger story
53 OUTLETSOutlets on both sides report that the House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations involving Gonzales and a staffer. Center outlets focus on Gonzales’s affair admission and the political fallout, including his runoff and calls for his resignation. Right-leaning outlets foreground the committee’s investigative action and criticism from Republican lawmakers.
- ARTICLES
- 90
- OUTLETS
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- AVG CRED
- 69
- Hppr · Rep. Tony Gonzales admits affair with former staffer who died by suicide; under House ethics investigation
- WCBM News-Talk Radio · Mike Johnson urges Rep. Tony Gonzales to quit race as ethics probe explodes
- Daily Mail · Married Congressman drops reelection campaign after confessing to affair with aide who set herself on fire
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