Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks at a news conference on committee assignments for the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)
By C. Douglas Golden April 10, 2026 at 7:22pm
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York called on California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell to step away from his state’s gubernatorial race after sex abuse allegations against him were reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
However, he refused to call on Swalwell to resign from his House seat or any of his committee assignments in the wake of the accusations.
“Following the incredibly disturbing sexual assault allegations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, we call for a swift investigation into these incidents and for the Congressman to immediately end his campaign to be California’s next Governor,” Jeffries’ statement Friday night read.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” he added.
Jeffries went on to say that “we commend the courageous women for sharing their experiences.”
“In this and all circumstances, we must ensure that those who come forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment are heard and respected,” he continued. “All perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable.”
Statement on the Serious Accusations against Rep. Eric Swalwell. pic.twitter.com/9lkYqiCIGr
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) April 11, 2026
The statement came as a San Francisco Chronicle piece detailed, for the first time, sexual abuse allegations against the longtime lawmaker and one-time presidential candidate.
While credible sources — including progressive activists — had said multiple accusations were imminent against Swalwell earlier in the week, Swalwell remained defiant, with his team calling the claims “false” and “outrageous.”
The campaign team added that they were being put forward “by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” according to Politico.
However, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Friday piece not only detailed allegations from a former staffer, but included corroborating evidence, such as medical records. The ex-staffer said that on multiple occasions beginning weeks after she was hired in 2019, Swalwell — who was married at the time, and still is — began making unwanted advances and forcing himself on her, often while she was too inebriated to consent.
“The woman said Swalwell began pursuing her within weeks after she was hired at age 21 to work in the Democrat’s district office in Castro Valley in 2019. Swalwell messaged her on Snapchat, she said, sending images of his genitals and seeking nude pictures of her in return,” the outlet reported.
“She said Swalwell, who is married and 17 years her senior, tried to kiss her in her car when she drove him home from a donor meeting one night. Driving him to another event weeks later, she said Swalwell pulled out his penis in the car and asked her to perform oral sex on him. She said she did so in a parking lot,” the piece continued.
“In September 2019, the woman said, Swalwell invited her out for drinks and she became so severely intoxicated that she does not remember the rest of the night. She said she woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed and could feel the effect of vaginal intercourse. She said Swalwell distanced himself from her afterward and the relationship faded.”
But then, in 2024, she said that the representative forced himself on her at a gala in his honor while she no longer worked for him. She said that she “became so inebriated that she only remembers snippets of the night, including pushing Swalwell away and telling him, ‘No,’ while he allegedly forced himself on her.”
The woman said she didn’t make the accusations public before now because her experience with Swalwell’s office was “the foundation of my career” and she “had nothing to fall back on or anyone to vouch for my skills outside of my colleagues in that office.”
However, she began speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle last month. When rumors began surfacing online, she said, a campaign staffer with Swalwell’s team reached out to her and asked if Swalwell had behaved inappropriately with her.
When she didn’t answer immediately, the staffer reportedly said, “Actually, I don’t want to know.”
Jeffries wasn’t the only one distancing himself from Swalwell. Notably, several Democrats withdrew endorsements, including California Rep. Ted Lieu and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego.
In light of the recent allegations against Representative Eric Swalwell, I am withdrawing my endorsement of his campaign for Governor.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 10, 2026
I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting and I take it seriously.
What is described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.
I regret having come to his defense on social media prior…
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) April 10, 2026
As of Friday night, the endorsements and donations page to Swalwell’s gubernatorial candidacy were down, as well. As of 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time, the candidate had yet to make a statement on social media about the allegations in the Chronicle or rumors that further allegations were to come.
JUST IN: The ‘Endorsements’ section on Eric Swalwell’s campaign site has been removed and returns a 404 error. pic.twitter.com/sMndosxwWl
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 10, 2026
Not only is the endorsements page down, the donation page on Swalwell’s website is too: https://t.co/QBPIXOTyVu pic.twitter.com/sFI2c9rw6I
— Jaron Zhou (@ZhouJaron) April 10, 2026
Notably, however, no Democrat — including Jeffries — called for Swalwell to step away from his House seat, where the GOP majority is thin and every vote counts.
If Swalwell exits the California governor’s race, however, it would make things easier for Democrats by reducing the chance that two Republicans advance in the state’s so-called “jungle primary” system, where candidates of all parties run in the primary and only the top two advance to the general election, regardless of affiliation.
Despite being accused of sexual activity with a Chinese spy in the early 2010s, Swalwell had frequently been a supporter of the #MeToo movement — so long as it involved allegations against Republicans.
In 2017, he told voters in an Alabama special election that they should vote Democrat based on claims of decades-old sexual misconduct against Republican candidate Judge Roy Moore: “After all the whataboutism & rationalization & partisanship, it comes down to this: You can vote for a sexual predator, or not vote for a sexual predator,” he said in a tweet.
After all the whataboutism & rationalization & partisanship, it comes down to this: You can vote for a sexual predator, or not vote for a sexual predator. #ALSenate
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) December 11, 2017
And in 2018, he sought to tie up the nomination of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh by allowing several women who had accused the judge of misconduct to testify at length, even though they did not have corroborating evidence and many of their stories did not check out.
“I hope, tomorrow, he opens his statement and says, ‘You know what? Bring in all the victims. Allow them to be heard, allow them to be questioned,” he said at the time, adding that while one accusation might be overlooked, “more and more cases that are separate and independent, that look the same, pretty soon a prosecutor starts to say to a jury… that the arrows are pointing in the same direction.”
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