House Ethics Committee Launches Investigation Into Eric Swalwell After Sexual Misconduct Claims

The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Monday after the progressive lawmaker was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women last week, including one former staffer who said he raped her.

Committee chairman Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) and ranking member Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) announced the probe in a joint statement. The committee is examining whether Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.”

The statement added, “the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”

The investigation comes three days after a former staffer accused Swalwell of raping her twice in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. CNN reported later on April 10 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 April 11 announced it was launching a probe into the 2024 rape accusation.

“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 CNN’s Pamela Brown about one of the alleged rapes. 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 lawmaker announced on Sunday night he was suspending his campaign to become California’s next governor following the accusations.

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell posted on X. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgement I’ve made in my past.”

The reports had sent staffers fleeing from his team and led to members of his congressional office and his gubernatorial team releasing a statement saying they were “horrified” by the accusations; those staffers added they “stand with” his accusers. 

Watch the report from Fox News above.

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