Eric Swalwell’s Staffers ‘Horrified’ by Rape Accusations, Call for Americans to ‘Stand With’ His Accusers

Staff members from Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-CA) congressional office and his gubernatorial campaign called for Americans to “stand with” the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct — including a former staffer who said he raped her — in an unsigned statement shared with multiple outlets on Saturday.

The statement comes one day after a former staffer accused Swalwell of raping her twice in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. CNN reported later on Friday that multiple women had accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including the woman mentioned in the Chronicle report, who said he raped her in 2019 and another time during a trip to New York City in 2024; the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on Saturday announced it was launching a probe into the 2024 rape accusation.

“As leaders of teams working for Eric Swalwell, we’re horrified by the recent reporting in the San Francisco Chronicle and by CNN,” the statement said. “We stand with our former colleague, and the other women who have come forward. We believe you should stand with them, too.”

It continued, “The behavior detailed in these reports is abhorrent, beneath the dignity of those serving in public office and betrays the trust of all Californians.”

The statement added that staffers who remain on the lawmaker’s team “should not be viewed as support for Eric Swalwell.”

“We recognize that not everyone — in particular our junior staff — can immediately forfeit their income and benefits without significant personal risk or consequence,” the statement said. “Our responsibility now is to them. We, more than he, understand that we have obligations to the people we lead and to the constituents of California’s 14th Congressional District.”

The statement was shared with Politico and several other outlets. You can read the full statement via Fox 40 Sacramento reporter Nikki Laurenzo’s X post below.

One ex-staffer told the SF Chronicle on Friday that Swalwell forced her to perform oral sex on him in a parking lot in 2019.

CNN then ran a story on four women who accused him of sexual misconduct, including the woman who said Swalwell raped her.

The former staffer told CNN she woke up to Swalwell having sex with her in a New York City hotel room after a night of heavy drinking in 2024. 

“I remember the next day, I can see flashes of that evening, of him on top of me, me pushing him off, him grabbing me. It was a lot more aggressive — it was aggressive,” the accuser told Brown about the alleged 2019 rape. Her face was kept in the dark on camera. 

“Did you say no?” Brown asked her. 

“Yes, I said no. In the flash that I can recall, I was pushing him off of me saying ‘no,’” the accuser said. 

Swalwell told the Chronicle, “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor.” 

The Democratic lawmaker — who is running to replace Gavin Newsom (D) as California’s next governor — was hit with a wave of staffers quitting on Friday. 

Watch CNN’s report above.

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