Disgraced former congressman Eric Swalwell (D), who proudly joined Snapchat as one of the first lawmakers to “restore faith in democracy," instead reportedly used the app to send multiple women nude photos and explicit videos of himself masturbating.
More than a dozen women told CNN that Swalwell made them uncomfortable over the past decade, engaging in flirty and suggestive messages on Snapchat, making in-person advances, instigating prolonged touching — even trying to lure some to his hotel room.
This was all going on while the former Democratic presidential candidate publicly positioned himself as a champion of women’s rights and defender of the MeToo movement.
God bless CNN for navigating their way through these latest seedy allegations. I had to wear a Hazmat suit and later douse myself in bleach just to get through their bombshell report.
The outlet highlights how Swalwell, dubbed the “Snapchat king of Congress,” relied on the app as his go-to for contacting women who were, how shall we put this, not his wife. The platform's key feature makes messages only accessible for a brief period. Which is super-convenient when you’re trying to pursue inappropriate encounters and don’t want to get caught.
One woman claims the former lawmaker started sending her messages on Snapchat, which eventually rose to "consensual sexual intercourse multiple times in hotels over several years."
She said the two grew comfortable enough to send each other explicit messages. CNN reviewed "nude photos" and "videos of him masturbating."
Some staffers said they were concerned about [Swalwell's] habit of holding meetings at a Hooters restaurant, especially when he announced a run for Congress in 2012." https://t.co/yqrgRuI5QP
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) May 4, 2026
As Bad As Swalwell’s Scandal Is, Luna Warns It’s About to Get Much Worse: ‘He May Go to Jail’
“His stories would be his, like, congressional content, but then he would be sending me d*** pics,” the woman said, alleging that one such explicit video showed up in her inbox just weeks before announcing his run for governor of California.
Numerous other women who spoke to CNN revealed further inappropriate behavior on the part of the congressman, including:
- Writing his personal cell number on the back of a business card and sliding it into the back pocket of a former congressional staffer.
- Hugging her for "a bit too long."
- Grabbing a woman's bag to prevent her from leaving, then jumping into an elevator, behavior she described as shocking and an attempt "to lure her to his hotel room."
- Suggested that another woman visit his hotel room while offering to help with her career. The ol' power imbalance ploy that he allegedly used repeatedly, and a ploy used by many a serial cheater. (Think Clinton-Lewinsky). Because nothing says ‘let me help your career’ like waving your congressional member around on Snapchat.
- Reportedly flirted with women in even the most common or mundane scenarios, including a real estate agent and a couple of waitresses, one of whom claimed he looked her up on LinkedIn and slid into her DMs.
CNN also revealed that Swalwell contacted two of the women after they spoke to the outlet and after they had reached out to his attorney for comment, a brazen attempt at intimidation.
The night after CNN spoke with Azari about the women’s claims, Swalwell sent (former hill staffer Amanda) Koski a Snapchat message at 1:57 a.m. Eastern – asking why she had screenshotted his chats and including screencaps of texts between the two of them.
“Given the accusations against him, attempting to gaslight or intimidate a woman on Snapchat at 2:00 a.m. isn’t overly becoming of a person who has ‘done no wrong,’” Koski told CNN.
Another woman who spoke to CNN received a similar message from Swalwell at 1:40 a.m Eastern that same night. When she saw a notification about the message, “my whole chest got tight” and she “immediately started crying,” she said.
“He has devolved so far from who I thought he was,” the woman said.
Swalwell's attorney, Sara Azari, offered defense after exhausting defense of her client's behavior throughout the report, while denying that he has engaged in any illegal conduct.
“He had extramarital contact with women. He’s not denying that,” Azari said. “But that’s very different than engaging in nonconsensual sexual misconduct.”
HOLY SMOKES: Ana Paulina Luna just revealed HOW BAD it's could get for Eric Swalwell...
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 14, 2026
"He might end up in jail."
"Potentially the individual that recorded that video in that hotel room...was a female and she was underage.
Jesse Watters' reaction was wild to watch. pic.twitter.com/VZ0C2g3vww
Swalwell's use of Snapchat to try to lure women is particularly striking, given that he was viewed as a pioneer for using the platform to "restore a lot of faith that people have in their democracy by opening it up a little bit more."
He opened up, alright.
That, combined with his carefully erected self-portrayal as a champion of women, especially in the workplace, drives the irony to off-the-charts levels.
“The most important thing we can do for the MeToo movement (is to) make sure that every woman in America is protected at her workplace," Swalwell told CNN in 2018. "There’s a lot of women who work for powerful people who are not regarded as powerful to the media, but they have to deal with harassment and discrimination every day, and we should move quickly in Congress in a bipartisan way to protect those individuals.”
Who was protecting these women from him?
Swalwell announced his resignation from Congress last month, after multiple women — including a former staffer — accused him of sexual misconduct and assault, with one alleging he raped her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent. He is now facing criminal investigations in New York and California.
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