I'm Really Enjoying Watching Eric Swalwell Implode

I’ll be honest with you — watching Rep. Eric Swalwell’s political career implode in real time has been one of the more satisfying political spectacles in recent memory. It really couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

And the best part? It’s only been one weekend.

On Friday, four women came forward with allegations against Swalwell. A former staffer alleges Swalwell twice had sex with her when she was extremely intoxicated and unable to consent, including a 2024 hotel-room encounter she describes as rape that left her bruised and bleeding. Another woman says he groomed her online as a young Democratic activist, got her drunk during a 2025 visit, kissed and groped her without consent at a bar, and left her with only blurred memories of ending up in his hotel room while he later fixated on keeping the incident from his wife. Social media creator Ally Sammarco says that after she contacted him about politics, he shifted to the more anonymous Snapchat, sent flirty late-night messages, bed selfies, and unsolicited nude photos, suggested they hook up, and hinted he could boost her career. Another woman told a similar story of Swalwell moving their conversation to Snapchat before requesting swimsuit and nude photos, and over several years, sent multiple unsolicited nude videos.

These aren’t vague, years-old whispers floating around social media. CNN reviewed evidence and found corroboration. So, there’s a paper trail, which means this isn’t going away. And the Democratic Party knows it. The allegations are serious enough, and the evidence convincing enough, that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has launched an investigation.

What happened next was a full-scale political exodus unlike anything Swalwell could have scripted in his worst nightmare. His campaign co-chairs quit immediately. Rep. Jimmy Gomez called the accusations “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable” and resigned on the spot. Rep. Adam Gray followed, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing” and pulling his support. Rep. Ted Lieu bailed. Sen. Adam Schiff called on him to drop out.

He’s lost nearly every single endorsement he had.

Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying the matter must be investigated “with full transparency and accountability” and told Swalwell directly it was time to end his campaign. When Nancy Pelosi pulls the rug out from under you, you don’t have a floor left to stand on. And she wasn’t alone — Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar piled on with a joint statement demanding the same. Even Rep. Ro Khanna got in line: “No one in a position of power should be allowed to act above the law or with impunity. The same rules must apply to Eric Swalwell.”

Then Swalwell posted a video response Friday night, and it was a disaster. He denied the assaults flat out, swearing they “did not happen” and promising to fight them “with everything that I have.” Fine. But then, in the very next breath, he apologized to his wife for “mistakes in judgment” and begged viewers not to doubt him. That’s not the statement of a man with nothing to hide. That’s a man trying to thread a needle that cannot be threaded.

And now the question is no longer just whether his campaign for governor survives. It’s inevitable at this point. He may not drop out, but he’ll go down swinging. But the real question is whether he’ll remain in Congress.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced she’s filing a motion to expel Swalwell from the House and is pushing for a floor vote as early as next week. A motion to expel carries privileged status, meaning Luna can force a direct up-or-down vote without it going through committee. Every member will have to go on record. Democrats have been very eager to say Swalwell should end his gubernatorial bid. I can’t wait to see how eager they are to actually hold him accountable when it costs them a House seat.

Rumors of Swalwell’s creepy behavior have been around for years, and many believe Democrats in Congress have known exactly what kind of person Swalwell is, and yet, they’ve done nothing. Like Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June 2024, the allegations against Swalwell have forced Democrats to confront something they’ve known about for years, and everything they’re doing is about trying to salvage an election.