Pamela Brown Fires Back When Stefanik Accuses CNN of Ignoring Swalwell Scandal: ‘I Did the Reporting With My Team!’

CNN anchor Pamela Brown fired back immediately when Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) accused her network of ignoring the scandals plaguing former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), pointing out that it had been her investigative team that had broken some of the major parts of the story before he resigned from Congress.

This month, Swalwell faced a wave of accusations from women that he sent explicit messages, including unsolicited nude photos and videos, plus more serious allegations from a former staffer who says he sexually assaulted her while she was intoxicated. Swalwell has admitted to “mistakes in judgment” but denied that he sexually assaulted anyone. Many of his staffers, at both his gubernatorial campaign and congressional office, resigned, and a large group of current and former staffers issued a statement supporting his accusers. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and House Ethics Committee have opened investigations into Swalwell.

Sunday evening, Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign for California governor. By Monday evening, he had announced he was resigning his congressional seat as well amid growing bipartisan calls for his expulsion from the House.

Swalwell’s resignation letter was read aloud from the House floor, making his congressional exit effective at 2:00 pm ET on Tuesday — hours after yet another woman came forward to accuse him of drugging and raping her.

CNN reporters broke major parts of the story leading to the apparent demise of Swalwell’s political career — and perhaps the beginning of his criminal troubles.

During Stefanik’s segment, Brown segued from a discussion about President Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV by framing her question about Swalwell’s woes as a topic “from our own reporting at CNN” and “our exclusive reporting last Friday.”

Brown asked the New York congresswoman if the events of the past few days, including the resignations of Swalwell and former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) amid his own “allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staff,” were a sign there was  “moral rot in the halls of the Capitol?”

Stefanik replied by deeming Swalwell to be “Nancy Pelosi’s protege in California,” calling the accusations against him “deeply disturbing,” and she believed them to be criminal as well.

Brown pointed out that Swalwell has denied the criminal allegations.

He denies those.

“Frankly, the media should have done more coverage of this,” said Stefanik. “This was sort of whispered about for many, many years.”

“But you were in control of Congress,” said Brown. “Why didn’t you do more about it being in control?”

“Listen, I’m one of Eric Swalwell’s biggest political foes,” she replied, saying it was correct he was forced to resign, crediting that to the “brave women” and staff members who came forward, and saying that when there are “these types of scandalous behaviors,” congressional members “need to resign immediately, no matter what party they’re in.”

Brown asked if Republicans should have pushed for Gonzales to resign earlier, or if Rep. Cory Mills, who is under a House Ethics investigation and is facing his own accusations of sexual misconduct and stolen valor, should resign “as the morally right thing to do?”

Stefanik said members of Congress “need to look in the mirror” because “they know if they have been conducting themselves unfitting for the office” and should resign, because “you have to hold yourself to a higher standard.”

When Brown’s co-anchor Wolf Blitzer asked about accusations from Democrats and other critics of the president that there was “a double standard right now when it comes to sexual misconduct,” Stefanik denied it and accused the media of letting Democrats off the hook.

“There’s absolutely not a double standard,” she said. “If anything, the media is not focused on holding Democrats to account, and there’s been an obsession with lawfare going –”

“How can you say that?” Brown interjected. “We just had the reporting Friday –”

“After — after he was forced out, Pam,” Stefanik said.

Brown looked taken aback, and said, “I did the reporting with my team,” naming her colleagues Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman, and Shoshana Dubnow.

“Before he resigned,” said Blitzer.

“Before he resigned,” Brown repeated.

Stefanik pivoted back to calling Swalwell a Pelosi protegé, claimed “there was no media scrutiny whatsoever” of his FEC reports showing “all these expenditures with these women,” and said there was a “history of weaponized lawfare against President Trump.”

Before going to the break, Brown mentioned, “Alli Gordon was also part of that reporting team,” as she straightened the papers on the desk.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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