The main accuser, who has not been publicly identified and worked for Swalwell for nearly two years, alleged she had sexual encounters while he was her boss. She said he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was too intoxicated to consent, the Chronicle reported. She told the paper Swalwell began pursuing her weeks after she was hired at age 21 to work in the Democrat\u2019s district in 2019.<\/p>\n
The Chronicle spoke with the woman\u2019s friend and the woman\u2019s ex-boyfriend, both of whom corroborated her story and described her as appearing disoriented.\u00a0Medical records, according to the Chronicle, also show she sought pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease tests about a week after the incident.<\/p>\n
The woman told the Chronicle she did not immediately tell authorities because she feared people wouldn\u2019t believe she was telling the truth. And she told MS NOW she\u2019s coming forward with her story now because she feels she has the support she lacked at the time. MS NOW has independently reviewed the text messages and medical records regarding Swalwell\u2019s former staffer.<\/p>\n
Swalwell, who has represented California\u2019s 14th Congressional District since 2013 and launched his gubernatorial campaign earlier this year, strongly denied the claims in a statement Friday before his video denial. \u201cThese allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public \u2014 as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Both the Chronicle and CNN viewed records and text messages from around the time of the alleged assaults, and spoke to family and friends who said they\u2019d told her about the allegations at the time she says they\u2019d happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the allegations I\u2019ve seen, which is that we\u2019ve had NDAs in the office \u2014 never. There\u2019s never been an allegation, and there\u2019s never been a settlement,\u201d Swalwell\u00a0told reporters<\/a> Tuesday.<\/p>\n Political fallout<\/p>\n Swalwell\u2019s campaign initially showed signs of strong momentum<\/a> in the crowded California governor\u2019s race to replace current Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called the allegations \u201cdeeply troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously,\u201d Newsom\u2019s spokesperson said in a statement to MS NOW.<\/p>\n Swalwell\u2019s campaign also benefited from backing from key Democratic allies, positioning him as a viable contender in a fragmented field with no clear front-runner.<\/p>\n Multiple people resigned from Swalwell\u2019s orbit <\/a>ahead of Friday\u2019s scathing report of sexual assault, including Courtni Pugh, who served as a strategic adviser. Swalwell\u2019s fundraising page on\u00a0ActBlue <\/a>appears to no longer be accepting donations.<\/p>\n Rep.\u00a0Jimmy Gomez\u00a0<\/a>, D-Calif., resigned<\/a>\u00a0as co-chair of Swalwell\u2019s campaign,\u00a0saying in part \u201che cannot in good conscience remain\u201d in the role and suggesting that Swalwell \u201cshould leave the race now.\u201d Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., also resigned as campaign co-chair and called for Swalwell to suspend the campaign.<\/p>\n Other prominent Democrats also quickly began distancing themselves.<\/p>\n \tRecommended<\/p>\n House Democratic leaders issued a joint statement calling for a \u201cswift investigation\u201d and for Swalwell to end his bid for governor.<\/p>\n \u201cAll perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable,\u201d House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY wrote.<\/p>\n Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared this an \u201cextremely sensitive matter\u201d and said she discussed with Swalwell that the investigation would be \u201cbest done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Schiff, the California senator and Swalwell ally, said he is \u201cdeeply distressed\u201d about the allegations surrounding Swalwell and immediately withdrew his endorsement.<\/p>\n \u201cThis woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,\u201d Schiff said on X<\/a>. \u201cI am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., called the allegations \u201cindefensible\u201d and also immediately withdrew his endorsement of his longtime ally.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.\u00a0I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information.\u00a0I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired,\u201d Gallego\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0on X.<\/p>\n Two of Swalwell\u2019s key labor allies, Service Employees International Union of California\u00a0withdrew and California Teachers Association, retracted their support Friday, marking a significant blow to his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThe allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union\u2019s democratic process to determine next steps,\u201d the CTA said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former Rep. Katie Porter, a rival Democratic contender for governor, called the allegation \u201chorrifying,\u201d adding she is\u00a0thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n The California Democratic Party labeled<\/a> the allegations \u201cdeeply disturbing.\u201d<\/p>\n Swalwell\u2019s Republican gubernatorial opponent, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, blasted Swalwell over the allegations in a statement to MS NOW. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to me that Eric Swalwell thought he could run for Governor of California while all this was going on,\u201d Hilton said in the statement. \u201cIt shows the complete contempt these career politicians have for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n Jillian Frankel contributed to this report.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tEbony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.\u00a0\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tLisa Rubin is MS NOW’s senior legal reporter and a former litigator.\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-at-7.08.00-PM.png\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEbony Davis<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLisa Rubin<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n
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