Rep. Eric Swalwell’s attorney sent a cease and desist letter on Thursday to an unknown individual demanding that they stop accusing the California Democrat of sexual assault, according to the law firm that drafted it. On Friday, Elias Dabaie of Dabaie Kelley in Los Angeles confirmed he sent the letter and said an online copy posted by a social media influencer was authentic.
The letter warned the recipient could be sued for defamation and said it had come to the firm’s attention that the person had made false statements accusing Swalwell of sexual assault and non-consensual sexual encounters. It also demanded that the recipient “immediately and permanently cease and desist” from further publication or dissemination of the claims in any form, oral, written, electronic or otherwise.
Dabaie said, “I can tell you that there have been multiple baseless allegations made against the Congressman and we are attacking them on all fronts.” The letter was later posted online Friday by Cheyenne Hunt, who said she had shared the screenshot with permission from the recipient and that she was aware of two individuals who had received cease and desist letters from Swalwell’s team.
Swalwell and his representatives had already denied allegations earlier in the week that he behaved inappropriately toward young staffers and others. The congressman said, “It’s false,” and added, “I never behaved inappropriately with female staff members or had a sexual relationship with a staff member or an intern.” He also denied allegations that his office required interns to sign nondisclosure agreements.
The dispute comes as Swalwell is a leading Democratic candidate for California governor and follows allegations repeated by social media influencers and political insiders in recent weeks. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the episode now puts the focus on whether the broader stream of accusations will continue or be met with more legal action.
