As RedState previously reported, there has been a dramatic turn of events on Capitol Hill, which saw then-Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) go from being a top California gubernatorial candidate to a disgraced former congressman and ex gubernatorial hopeful in a matter of seven days.
The most serious allegations against the failed 2020 presidential candidate include alleged sexual harassment of staffers and interns, and allegations of rape from two women, including one who has gone public.
Now, as Swalwell prepares for the possible legal ramifications, talk has turned to who knew what and when, with reporters, strategists, and others in Politics World talking about how Swalwell's allegedly lecherous and predatory behavior was a well-known secret. One key figure in Swalwell's life, however, has claimed that he had "no knowledge" of the claims against his bestie. That man is Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
We've written previously about Gallego's and Swalwell's bromance, where the two were about as close as two dudes could get without having a different kind of relationship.
But that all seems to have gone away, with Gallego now furiously trying to get ahead of the questions by issuing condemnations against Swalwell over the allegations (after initially trying to cast doubt on them) and saying he had never witnessed this behavior from his former best bud.
Something many, including yours truly, have noticed about how Gallego looks in interviews where he's been questioned about the allegations is how panicky and nervous he seems to be. There was this one, for instance:
In a brief interview outside the Capitol tonight, Gallego told me and @migold that Swalwell led a "double life" and he never suspected he was pursuing staff as has been alleged. pic.twitter.com/fU5txk0qUL
— Lauren Fox (@FoxReports) April 13, 2026
And there was this one, which my colleague Bob Hoge covered, where Gallego looked extremely out of sorts and nervous. On X, RedState columnist Buzz Patterson suggested people "Watch this without sound first. Look how nervous he is."
This video could be shown in medical schools to demonstrate the body’s physical response to panic.
— Eric Matheny 🎙️ (@ericmmatheny) April 15, 2026
pic.twitter.com/Eas5sho1g0
Further, we learned on Wednesday that Gallego was hiring a new press secretary. From what I've seen online, he's already got press secretaries for his D.C.office and an Arizona-based one for his home state. Has he suddenly had staffers walk out?
NEW:#AZSEN @SenRubenGallego is hiring a press secretary
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) April 15, 2026
Good luck pic.twitter.com/0Cvclsz1BW
Even more intriguingly, Michael Trujillo, a Democrat strategist who has worked with campaigns including current gubernatorial candidate and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, dropped this nugget on the Saturday before Swalwell resigned:
I am going to say this very slowly, it’s coming out that Eric Swalwell would discuss his conquests to fellow House members and former house members that he considered “good friends, best friends”, now here is why me saying this slowly matters, think long and hard before you deny…
— Michael Trujillo (@mikehtrujillo) April 12, 2026
Swalwell has previously referred to Gallego as his "best friend in the world," a characterization Gallego seemed to embrace in this video:
Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell in November 2025:
— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) April 10, 2026
"Tonight you get to meet my best friend in the world, Ruben Gallego." pic.twitter.com/eXQe2mf7ux
Gallego, I should point out, served in the House of Representatives alongside Swalwell before being elected to the Senate in 2024. Gallego was in the House for 10 years, starting in 2015. Swalwell served in the House for 13 years, starting in 2013.
They both also served with former GOP Rep. George Santos (NY-03) in 2023. Santos has been a harsh critic of both and spoke out on the allegations against Swalwell, alleging they were "known to democratic leadership and they did NOTHING!"
He teased on X on Wednesday morning about an alleged accuser who is supposedly set to step forward with her own story - about Gallego:
A former staffer of Gallego has claimed he terminated her after he made a sexual advance on her and she rejected him and complained to the then Congressman’s chief of staff… She tells me she’s going public with it in great detail. Stay tuned! The whispers of Sen Gallego has [sic] always been rampant but if this shoe drops he’s cooked!
So when you were roommates you are going to tell me you didn’t know what he was doing?
— George Santos (@Georgesantos) April 14, 2026
Dude get ahead of it and resign you are next! https://t.co/3Yk71AQ21V
Maybe it's something. Maybe it's nothing. But since we are in the "just asking questions" phase of all of this, we'll stay tuned to see what, if anything, develops.
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