MAGA Representative Offers Stunning Justification for GOP Colleague’s Campaign Amid Scandal
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) stood firm in his support for fellow Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who is under scrutiny for not stepping down from his reelection campaign despite allegations of an affair with a staffer who tragically died by suicide last year.
“He’s not been indicted for anything. Does it look good? No. I don’t like the appearance of it,” Nehls remarked to reporters on Wednesday, emphasizing that while the situation is troubling, he believes Gonzales should remain in office. “He’s got a problem here. Don’t get me wrong, the optics are horrible, but I would in no way ever resign, right now.”
These remarks diverge sharply from the sentiments of other Republicans who have called for Gonzales to resign following the revelation of sexually explicit messages exchanged in 2024 between him and the late Regina Santos-Aviles. One message reportedly includes Gonzales requesting a “sexy pic” from Santos-Aviles.
Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’ widower, expressed his anguish over the affair, stating that it contributed to the collapse of their marriage and his wife’s subsequent depression, which culminated in her tragic death by self-immolation. “Look, I’m not saying he’s the one that went out there and did it himself, and I’m not saying that, but, yeah, he played a role in it,” Aviles told a news outlet on Wednesday. “He predatorized my wife, and he pushed her to the sense of having an affair. I mean, I made that evident in the messages that are released.”
Gonzales, who is married and has six children, has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that “what you’ve seen is not all the facts.” He currently represents Texas’ 23rd Congressional District and is engaged in a competitive campaign against YouTuber Brandon Herrera, known as “The AK Guy,” who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the previous election.
Herrera has criticized Gonzales harshly, alleging that he engaged in a “taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Nehls maintained that “accusations aren’t enough” to warrant Gonzales’ resignation or a suspension of his campaign. “If he does that, then you got to give the gavel to Hakeem Jeffries and I’m sure the Democrats would love that. I would love that. But no, I wouldn’t do that for any reason,” Nehls stated.
When pressed by a reporter about whether some issues transcend politics, Nehls replied firmly, “No. Not up here, not the way we — what we do in the house.”
