California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell (D) took to the offensive on Friday night, firmly denying serious allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from several women, including a former congressional staffer who claims he assaulted her twice while she was intoxicated.
Swalwell asserted that these accusations from survivors are false. However, in an awkward video statement, he also admitted to having made “mistakes” of a personal nature, suggesting that those issues could only be resolved privately with his wife.
“A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly,” Swalwell said.
“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false,” the Democrat Rep. (CA-14) insisted. “They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have.”
Swalwell’s video was immediately slapped with a “Community Note” that made clear some of his accusers have remained anonymous while “others have come forward publicly.”
The gubernatorial candidate acknowledged his “mistakes in judgment” and offered a heartfelt apology to his wife for placing her in this difficult situation — a statement that raises more questions than it answers.
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I’m perfect or that I’m a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past,” he said. “But those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”
In addition to the community note, several X users reminded Swalwell of his past statements about believing survivors of sexual assault.
“She has nothing to gain and everything to lose. It’s time we #BelieveSurvivors instead of attack them,” Swalwell famously said in 2018 in regard to allegations at the time against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Yikes, did that come back to bite. Hard.
“No one believes you. Live by the sword, die by the sword, they say,” radio host Dana Loesch responded.
“What about believing the women?” added Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter.
“Swalwell apologizes to his wife and also says the allegations are ‘flat false’ which raise (sic) the question of why he’s apologizing to his wife,” reporter Ryan Grim pointed out.
Multiple women, including a congressional staffer and at least three others, have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against Swalwell. These claims include unwanted sexual advances and unsolicited explicit messages, some of which reportedly included nude photos.
Two of the alleged assaults involved the former staffer, who was intoxicated and unable to give consent at the time. If the accuser’s account is accurate, these actions would meet the legal definition of rape.
Several national Democratic leaders have called on Swalwell to end his campaign for governor in California, but none have yet found the courage to demand his resignation from Congress.
That said, the Manhattan district attorney’s office is looking into the allegations. “We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373,” the DA’s office said in a statement to CNN. “Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”
Sounds like Swalwell’s, um, done with his political career.
Vice President JD Vance stated unequivocally in an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that aired Friday that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) committed fraud to enter the United States and that she is a central figure in the mounting fraud among her Somali community that is being investigated and prosecuted in Minneapolis.
“Today, for the first time, we got 100% on the record confirmation that Rep. Ilhan Omar committed immigration fraud,” Johnson wrote on the X platform that included a clip from an interview with Rob Schmitt, a Newsmax TV host. “Lying on your immigration forms is an immediate denaturalization. Vice President JD Vance says DHS is exploring enforcement. Ilhan needs to be deported.”
Vance told Johnson: “Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America. … She has been at the center of a lot of the worst fraudsters in the Somali community.”
President Trump appointed Vance to be the first-ever ‘fraud czar,’ and in the short time he’s been at the job, he has uncovered tens of billions in fraudulent payments to ghost companies and individuals in California and Minnesota, both Democrat enclaves.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine was reportedly considering forcing a House vote to expel Omar, saying the potential action would be based on allegations that Omar married her brother as well as what he described as her “general embrace of Muslim terror.”
“I don’t think she should be a citizen, let alone a member of Congress,” Fine said. “I won’t send out fundraising emails calling for her expulsion. If I’m going to do that, you will see me bring the piece of paper. And I am actively considering that.”
The comments followed a fundraising email from Omar’s campaign calling for Fine to be expelled from Congress over past remarks in which he said Muslims should be “destroyed.”
Expelling a member of the House requires a two-thirds vote. With Republicans holding only a narrow majority, at least 85 Democrats would need to support the effort for it to succeed.
Omar has also faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks related to fraud tied to the Somali community in her Minnesota district. The controversy centers on the Minnesota “Feeding Our Future” program, which authorities have linked to approximately $250 million in fraud connected to the MEALS Act passed during COVID lockdowns.
Omar supported the legislation and has defended her role. “Do you regret pushing for that bill, the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to the fraud?” Fox News reporter Nicholas Ballasy asked Omar earlier this month. “Absolutely not, it did help feed kids,” Omar replied.
Trump has also sharply criticized Omar in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Trump referred to the congresswoman as “garbage” and raised broader concerns about large scale migration from Third World nations such as Somalia, according to NBC News.
“I don’t want them in our country. I’ll be honest with you, okay,” Trump said. “Somebody will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care,” he added.
“I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason,” Trump continued.
“Her friends are garbage,” Trump added, referring to Omar. “These aren’t people that work. These aren’t people that say, ‘Let’s go, come on, let’s make this place great.’ These are people that do nothing but complain.”
Republican challenger John Nagel is accusing Omar of being closely linked to the $1 billion Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, which is based in her Minneapolis congressional district. Nagel, who is running against Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, claims that legislation introduced by Omar contributed to the circumstances that allowed the fraud to take place.
“If you look at where the fraud is, it’s primarily her district, the district that I’m running in against her,” he said. “And it’s really odd to think that all the fraud just happened in a particular area.”