Calls for Eric Swalwell to resign his seat swelled this weekend after reports of inappropriate behavior, sexual assault and rape triggered a rare burst of bipartisan pressure on the California Democrat. Swalwell denied the allegations, but lawmakers from both parties said the claims were serious enough to force him out of Congress.
Ro Khanna said Swalwell should step aside, calling the conduct “sick and disgusting” and saying there needed to be consequences. Byron Donalds said he would vote to expel Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, while Pramila Jayapal said she would vote to expel both men. Eugene Vindman and Jared Huffman also called on Swalwell to resign his House seat and end his run for California governor.
The pressure followed reports published Friday by the San Francisco Chronicle and saying at least four women accused Swalwell of unwanted advances or sexual assault. One former staffer said he raped her in 2024 while she was too intoxicated to consent to sex, and the Manhattan district attorney’s office opened an investigation into that allegation the same day. Swalwell responded in a video saying the allegations were “flat false” and apologizing to his wife for “mistakes in judgment.”
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Anna Paulina Luna said Sunday that she intended to pair her resolution to expel Swalwell with one to expel Gonzales, whose case has also become part of the debate after he acknowledged having an extramarital affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Khanna said he believed Swalwell should resign and added that Republicans facing similar accusations should be held to the same standard, saying the issue should not be about politics. Swalwell’s attorney has threatened to sue one of his accusers.
The bipartisan revolt leaves Swalwell, a Democratic U.S. representative and candidate for California governor, facing a test that is larger than one allegation or one vote. The immediate question is no longer whether the accusations will fade, but whether enough members conclude that his seat in the House is no longer tenable.
