Four women accused the politician of sexual harassment. The most serious case came from a former employee of his office: she said that in 2024, Swalwell raped her while she was very drunk. According to the woman, a similar episode occurred in 2019.
She said she came to intern at Swalwell's office at age 20 and later became a junior employee. She helped organize his trips, events and often accompanied him around the district. Over time, according to the woman, the relationship went beyond work: Swalwell began writing to her on Snapchat, making sexual innuendos and sending explicit photos, in particular, of his genitals. He also asked her for intimate pictures, and she sometimes sent them, although she felt insecure because he was her boss.
The former employee said that after she left the office, they sometimes continued to communicate: the politician helped her with career advice. In 2024, they met again at an event in New York, after which, according to her, she became very intoxicated, found herself in his hotel room and claimed that he had sex with her against her will.
Three more women told CNN about unsolicited intimate messages, explicit photos and unwanted touching from the politician. Despite the fact that Swalwell's lawyer sent letters to the two women demanding that they stop spreading the statements and withdraw their words, threatening legal action, according to the TV channel, some of their words are confirmed by correspondence, testimonies of loved ones and medical documents.
Swalwell called all the allegations “false.” In his post on the social network X, he stated that he intends to resign.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for the errors of judgment I have made in the past. I will fight the serious false accusations made against me. However, I must accept responsibility for the mistakes I have made,” he said in a statement.
Columnist Michelle Cottle of The New York Times writes that Swalwell is not the only congressman to leave office prematurely due to allegations of sexual abuse of power. She mentions that such cases have already happened and continue to happen in Congress.
In particular, she cites the example of Republican Tony Gonzales, who announced he would not seek re-election after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide. The material also notes that some Republican congresswomen put pressure on him and the party leadership to admit the situation and end the campaign.
At the same time, Cottle emphasizes that inappropriate behavior towards subordinates is often an open secret within Congress.
She also notes that there is a persistent problem in the political environment: such stories are often hushed up until they escalate into a public scandal. As a result, in her opinion, many in the political environment “turn a blind eye” to signals and rumors until the moment when it is no longer possible to avoid a scandal.
