Rep. Eric Swalwell said accusations he sexually assaulted a former staffer are “absolutely false” and vowed to “fight them with everything I have” in a video posted to social media Friday night, as his lawyer suggested the California gubernatorial candidate might take unspecified legal action against the claims.
Swalwell’s campaign website stopped accepting donations on Friday, after the San Francisco Chronicle published an account of an unnamed woman who accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her twice, in 2019 and 2024, when she was too intoxicated to consent. CNN published its own story several hours later with that account and those of three other women who said the Democrat made unwanted advances, including sending nude photos and explicit messages.
The Sacramento Bee has not independently verified the claims.
A chorus of top Democrats have called on Swalwell, D-Dublin, to step aside from the governor’s race, where he’s running to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. The list includes House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, key endorsers like California Sen. Adam Schiff and Arizona Sen. Reuben Gallego, and the Swalwell campaign’s co-chairs: Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles and Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced.
Key labor backers, including SEIU California, the California Teachers Association and California Federation of Labor Unions, said Friday they were convening emergency meetings to reconsider their endorsements of Swalwell. On Saturday, the...
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