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After being hit with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, Tri-Valley Congressman Eric Swalwell now faces a criminal probe in New York City, an exodus of staff and endorsers, and calls to resign from the House and end his gubernatorial campaign.
The seventh-term Democrat and Dublin native saw his political and personal lives upended Friday afternoon when the San Francisco Chronicle reported a former district staff member’s accusations against Swalwell. CNN soon followed a story that included three other women claiming sexual misbehavior in the past by the man who was a leading contender for California governor.
Swalwell denied allegations of sexual assault on Friday, but has remained mum publicly on his future since posting a video statement late that night saying he would spend the weekend with family and friends and provide an update “very soon”.
“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false,” Swalwell said Friday night. “They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have.”
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her I apologize deeply for putting her in this position,” he added. “I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me, but I think you know who I am.”
As the weekend has progressed, the pressure continues to mount against the suddenly embattled congressman who just days earlier was a top Democratic candidate for governor and posting a “Happy Easter” family photo featuring his wife and three young children.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed to CNN and other national media on Saturday that it had opened an investigation into an allegation against Swalwell. The former staffer told the Chronicle and CNN that in 2024, several years after she left his team, they reconnected at an event and Swalwell then raped her in his New York City hotel room, forcing sex with her when she was too intoxicated to consent.
She alleged to the news outlets another incident in 2019, when she was his staffer, in which Swalwell had nonconsensual sex with her while intoxicated in his congressional district. The woman, whom no news outlet has named publicly, also claimed Swalwell asked her to perform oral sex in a parking lot while on the job and engaged in sexually explicit conversations on the social media app Snapchat.
CNN reported the three other women described varying degrees of sexual misbehavior, including sending unsolicited nude photos through Snapchat – an app whose messages are automatically deleted.
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, whose department oversees prosecutions in Swalwell’s home district, said she was “deeply troubled by the allegations”, encouraging anyone with information to come forward but implying there was no active investigation locally against Swalwell.
“All allegations must be fully investigated by the appropriate authorities, with independence and transparency. Now is a time to hear from anyone impacted. The voices of victims and survivors should always be heard, and I’m listening,” Jones Dickson said Saturday. “I am closely monitoring this situation, and should there be a legal process from a case originating in Alameda County, I will act with full transparency to determine the most appropriate path forward.”
Jones Dickson also rescinded her prior endorsement of Swalwell’s bid for governor and cast aside his endorsement of her election campaign.
Every prominent Democrat and labor group that previously endorsed Swalwell withdrew its support between Friday and Saturday, with many directly calling on the congressman to end his campaign altogether.
Swalwell also faces demands to resign from the U.S. House of Representatives – and many Republicans, along with some Democrats, have said they would back a move to expel Swalwell from Congress this week. Politico reported Sunday that legislators on both sides of the aisle have indicated support for a motion that would also include the removal of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who also faces allegations of sexual misconduct with staffers.
The chorus of criticism included Swalwell’s own senior staff for both his congressional and campaign teams, who said in a joint statement – albeit as two groups, not attributed by individual names – that they were “horrified” by the allegations.
“We stand with our former colleague, and the other women who have come forward,” they stated. “We believe you should stand with them, too.”
“Any decision of staff members to remain in their roles in the interim should not be viewed as support for Eric Swalwell,” they added. “We, more than he, understand that we have obligations to the people we lead and to the constituents of California’s 14th Congressional District. Those of us that remain on staff do so for the sole purpose of ensuring that as many of those obligations are fulfilled as possible.”
This was already supposed to be Swalwell’s last year representing District 14. Nine candidates are on the June 2 primary election ballot seeking to succeed Swalwell in Congress. A majority of the candidates were set to participate in a livestream forum moderated by the Pleasanton Weekly at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Regardless of whether he ends his gubernatorial campaign, Swalwell will remain one of many candidates on the primary ballot for governor as the deadline to remove his name has passed.
