Democrat Eric Swalwell to resign from Congress over sexual assault allegations | House of Representatives
Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, said Monday he will resign from Congress following multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that ended his bid for governor.
A day after Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign for governor of California, he was facing calls from both parties to resign.
“I deeply apologize to my family, staff, and constituents for the errors of judgment I have made in the past,” Swalwell said in a statement shared on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. But I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I have made.”
The decision comes after the House ethics committee announced early Monday that it was launching an investigation into Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell, a day after he withdrew from the California governor’s race amid reports of sexual assault and misconduct.
The bipartisan committee said in a statement that it would review the “allegations.” [Swalwell] “He may have committed sexual harassment, including against an employee working under his supervision.”
Swalwell, who polls show is ahead in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, suspended his campaign Sunday San Francisco Chronicle reported that a former female staffer said the congressman sexually assaulted her twice. CNN It was published hours later, a similar account and allegations that three other women in Swalwell had sent them unsolicited sexually explicit photos or messages.
The investigation comes as lawmakers in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives build pressure to expel Swalwell and other lawmakers facing misconduct charges.
One of the top targets is Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, who admitted to having an extramarital affair with an employee who later died by suicide. Other lawmakers called for the expulsion of Florida Republican Cory Mills, who is accused of various ethical lapses, and Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is indicted on federal charges related to her company diverting $5 million in disaster relief funds to her campaign.
All are under investigation by the House ethics committee, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
On Monday, Democratic congresswoman Nydia Velázquez said, “Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled.” Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace approved the expulsion of these members over the weekend, writing on the X: “Time to clean house.”
Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she would introduce a resolution to expel Swalwell, while Democrat Teresa Leger Fernández said she would introduce another resolution to unseat Gonzales.
“As I said before, Gonzales and Swalwell are unfit to serve in Congress because of their sexual crimes against women who work for them. They must resign or be expelled,” Leger Fernández said.
Arizonan Ruben Gallego, known to be one of Swalwell’s close friends, also made a statement.
“I support the ethics committee’s investigation and believe Eric Swalwell is no longer eligible to be a Member of Congress. He should be expelled from Congress. I want to be clear: I had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior against Eric Swalwell,” he said.
“I trusted someone I believed to be a friend, but it is now clear that she is not the person I thought I knew. The women who came forward showed courage. They deserve to be believed, supported and to see justice served.”
Expulsion of councilors requires a two-thirds vote of parliament and is rare. Only six members were dismissed; The most recent was George Santos, the fabulist New York congressman who was expelled in 2023 after House ethics found he had misused campaign funds. He pleaded guilty to a series of federal fraud charges, but Donald Trump later commuted his sentence.
Swalwell’s withdrawal from the governor’s race in Democratic-dominated California complicates a contest where no clear leader has yet emerged.
Leading Democratic candidates include former congresswoman Katie Porter, billionaire entrepreneur Tom Steyer, who is running for president in 2020, former health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan.
Trump has endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton, whose main Republican rival is Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County.
