Speaking to reporters after a townhall in Sacramento on Tuesday night, Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) denied ever having a sexual relationship with a staffer or intern and said, "There has never been an allegation and there has never been a settlement" related to sexual harassment. Swalwell held the townhall as part of his campaign for California governor, a race in which he and billionaire Tom Steyer are the leading Democrat candidates.
As RedState reported Tuesday, allegations that Swalwell has had inappropriate sexual relationships with numerous staffers and interns for years, going back to his time on the Dublin City Council from 2010-2013, have been swirling on social media for weeks. Cheyenne Hunt, a California attorney and executive director of Gen Z for Change who has also worked on Capitol Hill, says she's spoken to more than a dozen victims, some of whom say they were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements. Multiple prominent Democrat strategists have now come out supporting Hunt, saying they've also heard from women who were targeted by Swalwell, with one emphasizing, "This isn’t some partisan witch hunt. These are real Dem women coming forward. A lot of this s**t is going to shock yall."
On Tuesday, Swalwell's spokesman, Micah Beasley, dismissed the allegations as a "false, outrageous rumor," blaming its origin on "flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists," then issued a very specific denial that could become problematic in the future.
“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever. In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever.”
Arielle Fodor, a progressive education influencer who says she was warned by friends to not have contact with Swalwell after he featured her in a social media post last fall and has been extremely vocal about the allegations, told the Sacramento Bee that Swalwell's accusation that she and others were teaming up with MAGA was "a slap in the face" to the victims and predicted that Swalwell's statements won't age well.
“From the beginning, not a single woman who has shared this information with me, come forward with an allegation, or has pursued justice has been aligned with MAGA or Republicans in any way shape or form. And that accusation is not only a cop-out, but a slap in the face to these brave women and I think these statements will haunt Swalwell and his campaign.”
Fodor says she said more than that, but the Bee didn't print her entire statement. She posted screenshots of the emails on X:
Here’s my full statement, you annoying little bitch https://t.co/QswEhWTodZ pic.twitter.com/x1lqrhqMVl
— mrs.frazzled (@ms_frazzled) April 8, 2026
During the town hall itself, Swalwell didn't address the allegations, instead taking pre-submitted questions from selected audience members, mainly SEIU members, according to an attendee who spoke to RedState.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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