California Rep. Eric Swalwell, the front-runner in the gubernatorial race, is facing sexual assault and misconduct accusations from four women, including a former aide who claims he raped her.The allegations involve a high-profile Democrat using his political position to groom young women in their twenties and then engage in inappropriate sexual messages or non-consensual physical contact, CNN reported. Swalwell, a married father of three, denies this. He called the claims “false” and politically motivated lies aimed at disrupting the upcoming election.His legal team has sent cease-and-desist letters to two accusers, warning of legal action if they continue to speak out. However, medical records, text messages and corroborating statements from friends and family have emerged supporting the women’s claims.
Former staff member: Rape and bodily harm charges
The most serious accusation came from a woman who began interning for Swalwell in 2019 when she was 20 years old. She eventually joined his campaign and district office, and she says the congressman initially made her feel like “he was the coolest person in the room.”She claimed that after a night of heavy drinking in September 2019, she blacked out and woke up naked in her hotel room in Swalwell. She said she could “physically feel” a sexual encounter had taken place. In another incident that same year, she claimed he forced her to perform oral sex on him in a car.The woman claims the abuse came to a head in April 2024 at a party in New York City. She said she regained consciousness in Swalwell’s bed after becoming intoxicated after drinking at a hotel bar.“I pushed him off of me and said no,” she told CNN. “He didn’t stop.”She described waking up alone the next morning, wrapped in a blanket and with “cuts and bruises” on her ribs and thighs. CNN reviewed medical records from a health clinic where she went for testing days later, where a medical provider described her as a “survivor.”
Political aspirants: The ‘blur’ in the hotel room
Another woman who connected with the congressman because of her interest in 2025 Democratic politics described a similar “star-struck” adoration that turned into a traumatic experience. After weeks of text messages, the two met in person when Swalwell visited her city.She alleges that one night at a bar, Swalwell touched her legs and kissed her multiple times without consent. She ends up losing her memory of that night and wakes up in his hotel room. The Uber receipt showed she left the hotel at 5:41 a.m.The woman described her experience as “blurred” and said she felt “disgusted and ashamed”. When she later messaged Swalwell telling him “all you are doing is hurting me,” he responded: “I won’t bother you anymore! Sorry.”
Ally Sammarco: Active nudity and late-night runs
Social media founder Ally Sammarco was one of the women who chose to be named. In 2021, she first contacted Swalwell on Twitter to discuss politics. What started as professional advice quickly turned into an “inappropriate” Snapchat exchange.Samarco claimed the congressman sent her unsolicited photos of his genitals and shirtless selfies while drinking. She noted that he, a sitting member of Congress, “drunkly texted” her when she was 24 and out with friends.She also claimed that Swalwell would run past her apartment building multiple times after learning where she lived. Although they stayed in contact occasionally, she said she stopped responding to his sexual advances once she entered a serious relationship.
Marketing Professionals: The Four-Year Model of Explicit Content
A fourth woman who works in marketing claimed that Swalwell began contacting her in 2021 after she liked one of his social media posts. She told CNN that a month later their conversation turned sexual, with the congressman asking for nude photos and unsolicited videos of his penis.“When you get unsolicited sex videos, it just makes you feel like I’m inferior,” she said.The two never met in person, but their digital relationship lasted four years.
