Becerra pressed at governor debate over Swalwell misconduct rumors
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California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra faces scrutiny for his knowledge of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s alleged sexual harassment during the California gubernatorial debate Wednesday night.
Becerra, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under former President Joe Biden, was asked about his recent comments, in which he said he had heard “rumors” about Swalwell’s actions. Swalwell dropped out of the California race and resigned from Congress over the scandal.
“Mr. Becerra, you were chairman of the Democratic Caucus when Eric Swalwell was elected to Congress. In a recent interview, you said, ‘Many of us heard the rumors.’ What rumors did you hear? And should you have pursued the rumors as a member of the Democratic leadership?” NewsNation host Nikki Laurenzo asked.
“Thank you, Nikki. Yes, you hear rumors about various things all the time. Rumors are not true,” Becerra responded. “And the caucus, the Democratic caucus, is not the place to make decisions on these issues. It’s law enforcement that does that. If someone had come forward, then we could have launched an investigation.”
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Eric Swalwell and Xavier Becerra. ((Getty Images))
The controversy comes as Swalwell faces a new ethics complaint. Ministry of Justice To investigate whether he was using his position in Congress to promote a new business he was running with his chief of staff.
Swalwell has also been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in recent weeks; Swalwell has denied these allegations, although he has admitted to making poor choices in his past with women.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative ethics watchdog, filed a complaint Wednesday with the Justice Department’s Office of Congressional Conduct, urging it to investigate allegations that Swalwell personally offered Findraiser, an AI political fundraiser, to Democratic lawmakers, staffers and campaigns.
ERIC SWALWELL CAMPAIGN PAID HOTEL WHERE ACCUSER LONNA DREWES FULFILLED ASSAULT CLAIMS
Lonna Drewes detailed Rep. Eric Swalwell’s sexual harassment allegations during a press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, after Swalwell said he would drop out of the California governor’s race and resign his seat in Congress. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)
FACT’s complaint also names Swalwell’s former chief of staff, Yardena Wolf, who is also the co-founder of Findraiser. Wolf eventually left his post as chief of staff to lead Swalwell’s now-defunct gubernatorial campaign.
Swalwell currently faces multiple investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct, including from the Los Angeles District Attorney, the Manhattan District Attorney and the Department of Justice.
Before sexual misconduct allegations against him came to light in early April, the former Congressman was also facing criticism for his behavior on Capitol Hill regarding promoting Findraiser.
D-Calif. His representative, Eric Swalwell, went from frequent cable news guest to the subject of hard-hitting news in a matter of days. (MS NOW/Screen Graph)
A Democratic operative reportedly told news outlet NOTUS that Swalwell was “selling out” Findraiser on Capitol Hill.
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NOTUS released a pair of reports in March; One of them is the AI-powered political fundraiser for Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. He cited Federal Election Commission data that shows Swalwell has taken jobs from some of his longtime political allies, including Swalwell and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
