A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.
Swalwell did not respond to any of the former staffer’s specific allegations, made in a series of interviews with the Chronicle, and provided a statement Friday:
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” he wrote. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
Late Thursday, an attorney for Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to the woman, saying she had “made false statements accusing Mr. Swalwell of sexual assault and nonconsensual sexual encounter,” and threatening to sue her if she did not retract her allegations.
On Friday afternoon, shortly after the Chronicle published an initial version of this story, Swalwell allies including both chairs of his campaign — Democratic Reps. Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles and Adam Gray of Turlock (Stanislaus County) — began withdrawing their endorsements and calling on him to drop out of the gubernatorial race. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, one of Swalwell’s most...
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