Congressional candidate Brandon Herrera is asking on Republican major rival U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign following an Specific-Information article alleging the South Texas congressman had an affair with a staffer who later dedicated suicide.
Herrera, a web based influencer identified to many because the “AK Man” for his controversial YouTube movies on firearms, is engaged in a major battle with Gonzales to symbolize Texas’ twenty third District, which incorporates West San Antonio and lengthy swath of the Texas-Mexico border.
“Tony Gonzales should resign,” Herrera mentioned in a Wednesday assertion. “He not solely broke Home ethics guidelines by having an adulterous affair with a member of his congressional employees and by utilizing taxpayer cash to fund the affair, however he additionally broke belief with the general public by insisting that the preliminary reporting of the affair was false.”
Herrera went on to argue that comparable habits within the navy would lead to a courtroom martial and dismissal from service.
“We should always not maintain the political leaders who oversee our armed providers to a decrease commonplace than the one to which our combating women and men are held,” he added.
Rumors have swirled for months that Gonzalez had a romantic relationship with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who took her personal life by setting herself on hearth outdoors her Uvalde house on Sept. 14. Each the President Donald Trump-endorsed congressman and Santos-Aviles have been married on the time of the alleged liaison.
Late Tuesday, the Specific-Information reported obtained a textual content message despatched by Santos-Aviles to a former Gonzales staffer stating that she’d had an affair with the lawmaker. The staffer additionally informed the every day that she’d recounted particulars of her 2024 affair with Gonzales, including each that her husband had came upon and that she’d slipped into despair after Gonzales ended the connection.
Regardless of the staffer telling the every day the romance was an “open secret” inside the congressional workplace, Gonzales didn’t attend Santos-Aviles’ funeral. He additionally denied having the affair to a room filled with press through the Texas Tribune Competition in November.
“The rumors are fully untruthful, and Regina’s household has requested for privateness,” Gonzales mentioned on the time.
Regardless of the Specific-Information’ report on the alleged affair and Herrera’s condemnation of his rival, the paper hasn’t thrown its endorsement behind the controversial YouTuber. In a scathing editorial, the paper withdrew its endorsement of Gonzales however stopped in need of endorsing Herrera within the major.
“We are going to make no suggestion within the GOP major for this race and can circle again within the common election,” the Specific-Information Editorial Board wrote.
Nonetheless, the paper added that it stands by its endorsement of Katy Padilla within the Democratic major.
Whereas the Specific-Information didn’t go into its reservations about Herrera, the social media influencer drew scrutiny forward of his 2024 run in opposition to Gonzales for content material posted in his YouTube channel. He additionally obtained a latest cease-and-desist letter from a lawyer representing Trump demanding that he cease utilizing the president’s picture and likeness in marketing campaign supplies.
Herrera’s headline-grabbing on-line antics have included joking about veteran suicides, marching to a Nazi propaganda tune and mocking the looks of Trump’s teenage son Barron.
Herrera’s marketing campaign additionally got here underneath scrutiny from the Federal Election Fee scrutiny, which questioned the accuracy of employment and occupational-status info supplied by its donors.
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Associated Tales
San Antonio’s every day newspaper is the third publication to allege the married South Texas congressman was romantically linked to the now deceased staffer.
Regina Santos-Aviles dedicated suicide by setting herself on hearth in September at her Uvalde house, police say.
Throughout an look on the Texas Tribune Competition, Gonzales additionally mentioned he’s assured he’ll win the GOP major in opposition to Brandon ‘AK-Man’ Herrera.
