CNN’s Anderson Cooper Shocked When Scaramucci Expresses Sympathy for Eric Swalwell: ‘My Heart Goes Out to Him’

CNN’s Anderson Cooper was taken aback when former Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci expressed sympathy for outgoing Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who is resigning from Congress amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.

This month, Swalwell has 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 he sexually assaulted anyone. Many of his staffers, at both his gubernatorial campaign and congressional office, have 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.

Scaramucci, whose infamously brief tenure in President Donald Trump’s administration spawned countless memes, was on CNN’s The Lead with Cooper guest anchoring for Jake Tapper on Monday to discuss some recent diplomatic stumbles for Vice President JD Vance just after the news of Swalwell’s resignation had broken, so Cooper asked him about that first.

“Listen, I’m going to– I’m going to play to the human side of that story with his wife, Brittany, and his three children,” said Scaramucci. “I would just say to Eric, you know, get this thing fixed up at home, the best he possibly can. I think it was very smart for him to leave the Congress and the race behind him. But work on your personal life, and by the way, my heart goes out to him.”

Scaramucci continued, bringing up his own abrupt departure from the White House, and how at the time he and his wife Deidre Scaramucci “were fighting with each other” but “we were able to repair our marriage, thank God.”

“So I would just say to Eric: family first, and get it together,” he said. “That would be my message.”

“He’s also facing very serious allegations,” said Cooper.

Scaramucci replied that it was “hard for sometimes, these politicians” to “get more honest more quickly,” bringing up a clip of Swalwell from a previous segment on the show that day and how the congressman “was denying, denying” but “now he seems to be widening the level of truth, if you will.”

“And I would just tell him, get the truth out there and get this — get this cleared up and behind you. And if those allegations are true, then you got to face the music.”

Cooper then moved on to Vance’s efforts to lead the Iran negotiations.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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