Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) suggested that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) should be “expelled from Congress,” adding that he was “no longer fit” to serve in Congress after he was accused of sexual assault by one of his former staffers.
“I support the ethics committee’s investigation and believe Eric Swalwell is no longer fit to be a Member of Congress,” Gallego said in a statement. “He should be expelled from Congress.”
Gallego, who has previously labeled Swalwell as his “best friend,” added that he “had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior” brought against Swalwell.
“I trusted someone who I believed was a friend, but it is now clear that he is not the person I thought I knew,” Gallego continued. “The women who have come forward have shown courage. They deserve to be believed, to be supported, and to see justice served.”
On Monday, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) issued a joint statement that the committee would be investigation and gathering “additional information regarding the allegations that” Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties”:
The Committee, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations that Representative Eric Swalwell violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.
The Committee notes that the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred. No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules.
Gallego’s statement came after a former staffer for Swalwell told the San Francisco Chronicle that Swalwell allegedly sexually assaulted her on two different occasions, one in September 2019, and one in April 2024:
She said Swalwell, who is married and 17 years her senior at age 45, 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.
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.
Five years later, the woman said, she attended an April 2024 charity gala where Swalwell was honored. The woman, who no longer worked for Swalwell, said they met for drinks afterward, during which she became so inebriated that she remembers only snippets of the night, including pushing Swalwell away and telling him, “No,” while he allegedly forced himself on her.
Shortly after Gallego issued his statement calling for Swalwell to be expelled from Congress, Swalwell issued a statement that he would be resigning.