Swalwell scandal sparks fears of deeper rot on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON— The downfall of Eric Swalwell has raised the possibility of a broader showdown on Capitol Hill, as congressional staffers, reporters and opposition investigators race to confirm longstanding rumors of a sordid underground culture among the city’s most powerful.
Former lawmakers across the political spectrum have been warning for years about a quiet congressional party marked by inappropriate entertainment and sexual misconduct. But a sense of increasing momentum took hold in Congress on Tuesday, as Democrats grappled with Swalwell’s resignation and Republicans called for other lawmakers to be scrutinized.
The 72-hour collapse of Swalwell’s political career shined a spotlight not only on his closest friends in Congress but also on a broader group of lawmakers from both parties who were suspected of engaging in lurid sexual activity. Several members claimed that Swalwell’s alleged behavior was an open secret amid a cacophony of rumors about other potential culprits on social media.
“I think a lot of people have known this for a while,” Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said in an interview with The Times.
Luna, who planned to lead the charge to oust Swalwell before resigning, claimed that junior employees would talk among themselves about Swalwell’s behavior. He said lawmakers should have done more to approach him about the rumours.
Several current and former female staffers who spoke to The Times described a wider culture of warning each other about MPs known for inappropriate behaviour.
But a former legislative aide who asked to remain anonymous said warnings passed privately among aides focused on “shoddy” activities and behavior that crossed boundaries. Whispers about shoddy behavior often don’t meet the coverage threshold of traditional newsrooms that adhere to strict ethical standards.
Another former aide said the quiet guidance shared among female staffers focused on behavior that was legal but still viewed as unprofessional and unbecoming of members of Congress; it was a line that prevented many from speaking openly.
Now there is a race between two political parties facing comparable strategic risks to gain influence and news outlets trying to break the story first — each of whose members face increasing questions about their alleged behavior.
The resignations Monday of Swalwell and Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is facing his own sex scandal, were also forcing lawmakers to address the issue publicly. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), one of Swalwell’s closest friends in Congress, answered reporters’ questions at length on Tuesday and told them he should have confronted Swalwell when he heard rumors about his behavior.
“You let your guard down. I allowed him into my environment. … I regret that very much,” Gallego said.
When asked about the conduct, he denied knowing about Swalwell’s alleged misconduct.
“Look, we socialized. We went out. But I didn’t see him engaging in any predatory behavior, harassment, sexual assault,” Gallego said.
President Trump, who has faced sexual assault accusations against himself throughout his presidency and has frequently fended off Swalwell, has been remarkably quiet. Although Trump published an article on social media announcing Swalwell’s resignation, he did not personally comment on the issue.
The emerging scandal comes at a time when lawmakers are coming together across party lines to push for transparency in the case of alleged sex offender and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, with Democrats and Republicans among their powerful collaborators.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, details of the Swalwell scandal continued to emerge Tuesday, with a Beverly Hills woman accusing him of drugging and raping her in 2018. The Times could not immediately reach his lawyer; has previously denied allegations of rape and sexual harassment made by multiple women in accounts published last week.
Sex scandals are not a new phenomenon on Capitol Hill, where more than a dozen members have been embroiled in controversies over the past decade, including California’s Katie Hill, Florida’s Cory Mills and Matt Gaetz, and Texas’ Blake Farenthold.
But some prominent former members, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have warned of a more widespread cultural problem.
“Every member of Congress knows that any junior staffer should not be allowed to get around Swalwell or Matt Gaetz. That’s no secret there,” McCarthy said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Luna had pressured lawmakers to address sexual harassment allegations on Capitol Hill. He called in February “predatory freaks” He left office because he complained about the process for handling ethics complaints in Congress.
“This makes me angry because while some of us are actually working our asses off, these clowns are sexually harassing their own employees, doing illegal things, insider trading, etc.,” Luna wrote at the time.
Luna said Monday that he was encouraged to see bipartisan support for expelling Swalwell and Gonzales.
A longtime staff member who spoke on condition of anonymity said Tuesday that the allegations against Swalwell had triggered conversations about how more could be done to help staff report sexual misconduct, such as revising rules of procedure to allow employees to report concerns directly to ethics panels, and about how ethics investigations should move more quickly.
“Congress has a short-term memory, that’s the challenge here,” the staffer said. “After these men leave their seats, there needs to be a concerted and consistent effort to ensure that the reforms take hold and become permanent.”
