In a major revelation by the San Francisco Chronicle, a former staffer of Swalwell claims he sexually harassed her while she worked for him and had intercourse with her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent.
The woman told the paper that Swalwell began harassing her shortly after she was hired at his district office in the East Bay.
Swalwell, who is married with three children, sent the younger staffer photos of his genitals via Snapchat and sexually harassed her, the report states.
In September 2019, the woman claims she woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel room after dinner with friends and felt the physical aftereffects of intercourse. She later left his office but continued working in politics.
In April 2024, the accuser attended an awards ceremony in New York where Swalwell was honored. After meeting, she went for a drink with him and ended up drugged in his hotel room, where she alleges he forcibly had intercourse with her.
The paper corroborated her claims with medical records and conversations with friends she confided in and an ex-boyfriend.
In response to the allegations, Swalwell’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the accuser’s attorney and hinted at a possible defamation lawsuit.
"These allegations are false and are surfacing on the eve of an election against a leading gubernatorial candidate. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public, as a prosecutor and as a congressman, and I have always protected women. I will defend myself with facts and, where necessary, take legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service from these lies," Swalwell said in a statement.
Following the Chronicle’s story, a CNN report detailed four women describing sexually inappropriate behavior by Swalwell, including multiple instances of sending unsolicited nude photos and having intercourse with women who were heavily intoxicated. Swalwell denied the allegations.
The accusations come after weeks of social media rumors about alleged sexual harassment and abuse.
After the allegations, Politico reported that several key campaign staffers resigned, including senior adviser Courtney Pugh, who was the main liaison with union organizations that were among the top supporters.
Congressman Jimmy Gomez resigned as co-chair of his campaign and called on him to withdraw from the race.