Swalwell campaign denies online claims that congressman behaved inappropriately with staffers
A spokesperson for Rep. Eric Swalwell, the leading Democratic candidate for California governor, on Tuesday condemned online allegations that the congressman had inappropriate relationships with young congressional staffers.
“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before the election begins, rattling opponents who have unfortunately teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” spokesman Micah Beasley said in a statement first reported by Politico.
Allegations that Swalwell (D-Dublin) acted sexually inappropriately with young women have been circulating online for weeks, and the pace has been picking up in recent days as Democratic strategists, Washington D.C. insiders and social media influencers have posted about the allegations, including that Swalwell made the women sign non-disclosure agreements.
“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has been asked to sign an NDA,” Beasley said. “Not a single ethics complaint has been filed by any staff member in his office or any other office in 13 years. Ever.”
The Times did not independently verify reports of inappropriate behavior.
Swalwell, 45, did not respond to requests for comment.
He joined the campaign to replace ousted Gov. Gavin Newsom in November, and recent polls show him among the frontrunners in the Democratic Party. Swalwell averaged the support of 13.7% of voters in the latest poll compiled by Real Clear Politics, behind conservative commentator Republican Steve Hilton at 14.7% on average.
This is the second controversy Swalwell has faced in recent days.
Late last month, he accused President Trump of trying to influence the governor’s race based on reports that the FBI might release documents related to a decade-old investigation into his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
The investigation focused on Swalwell’s ties to a suspected intelligence agent named Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, who was volunteering money for her congressional campaign. Swalwell cut ties with Fang in 2015 after intelligence officials briefed him and other members of Congress on China’s efforts to infiltrate the legislature.
Swalwell was never accused of wrongdoing. In an interview with The Times in November, he said he had been cleared by the FBI and the GOP-led House Ethics Committee of any impropriety in his ties to Fang.
FBI Director Kash Patel instructed agents in the bureau’s San Francisco office to organize case files for public release. A report from the Washington Post, It’s a highly unusual move to release case files connected to an investigation that did not result in criminal charges.
Swalwell’s attorneys served a cease and desist letter to Patel and the FBI. No documents had been released as of Tuesday afternoon.
Times writer Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.
