Rep. Eric Swalwell's political downfall has unfolded with dizzying speed. The California Democrat said Monday he will leave Congress, the latest fallout from sexual assault and misconduct claims that quickly drew bipartisan calls for his resignation, NBC News reports. In a statement posted on X, the California Democrat said he is aware of "efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members."
- "I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past," Swalwell said on social media. "I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."
- "Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong," Swalwell said. "But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress."
Swalwell's announcement came the same day the House Ethics Committee said it had opened an investigation into the allegations against him. The seven-term lawmaker, formerly considered a frontrunner in the California governor's race, suspended his campaign on Sunday after dozens of prominent Democrats withdrew their endorsements. On Friday, the
San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported on sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Swalwell from multiple women, including a former staffer who said he raped her.
Sources tell CNN that Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez and GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna had been planning separate expulsion measures, with Luna's measure targeting Swalwell and Leger Fernandez's measure targeting Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is being investigated over an affair with a staffer who died by suicide. The AP reports that Swalwell's resignation will trigger a special election in his district in the San Francisco Bay Area, which he won by more than 30 points in 2024.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
