‘I Was Pushing Him Off Of Me Saying No’
KING: Tonight on CNN, there’s special news about Congressman Eric Swalwell. The California Democrat is surging in the governor’s race there and has faced recent rumors of sexual misconduct on social media, which he has denied.
CNN’s Pamela Brown and her team spoke with four accusers, including a former employee who went on camera to share her story. Pam, tell us what our investigative team learned.
PAMELA BROWN: John, we spoke with four women who had allegations of sexual misconduct of various kinds against Congressman Swalwell, ranging from inappropriate messages and pictures, to unwanted kissing and touching, and in one case, rape from a woman whose identity we spoke to in the shadows to protect her for fear of professional retaliation.
He is a former Swalwell employee and says it all started when he was 21 years old. There were two very serious allegations of sexual assault, one on staff in 2019 and the other in 2024 when he left office.
He also described inappropriate messages and nude photos of the congressman using Snapchat along with disappearing messages.
Now, after the first incident, in which he said he woke up naked in his hotel room to staff after a night of heavy drinking, he told us about what he said happened after he left his office a few years later, in 2024. I want to warn you, what you are about to hear is graphic and disturbing.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I decided to ask him to meet me for a drink. And I did it because I was so far removed from what happened in 2019. I felt safe because I was established. I had a partner. I felt more confident that I could have a fully professional relationship with this person.
After that bar closed, we went to another bar, I went to the toilet and I don’t remember anything after that.
BROWN: Don’t you remember anything?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I remember the next day, that evening I can see him on top of me, me pushing him, him grabbing me. He was much more aggressive. It was aggressive.
BROWN: Did you say no?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I said no. I said – as far as I can remember, I was pushing him away by saying no.
BROWN: So what did he do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn’t stop.
BROWN: Didn’t it stop? And did you wake up the next morning?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The next morning, I woke up naked and alone in the hotel room. For a moment I didn’t even realize I was in his hotel room. That’s how drunk I was. And I called my mother, the only person I thought could help me.
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BROWN: We were able to confirm this by talking to friends and family. She admitted to reviewing photos and screenshots of simultaneous text messages, and we also reviewed a text from her healthcare provider the week after she received the pregnancy and STD test, calling her a “quote, survivor.”
Now, the Swalwell campaign has released a statement, quoting Congressman Swalwell, saying these allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor. I have served the public as a prosecutor and congressman for nearly 20 years, and I have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and take legal action when necessary. I want to be with my wife and children in the coming days and defend our decades of service against these lies.
