Once a rising star in the Democratic party, Eric Swalwell’s stunning fall from grace was cemented Tuesday as his resignation letter was read by the House Clerk.
Swalwell entered Congress in 2013, representing the East Bay area. He rose to national prominence in 2020 during a short-lived presidential bid and later became a fixture on cable television as one of President Donald Trump’s chief antagonists.
His downfall began Friday when four women accused him of sexual misconduct. One of them alleged that he sexually assaulted her in 2019 when she was working in his office, and again in 2024 after they had parted ways professionally. The 2024 incident, which happened in New York City, is now being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
On Tuesday, a fifth accuser stepped forward. Lonna Drewes alleged at a news conference in Los Angeles that she believes Swalwell drugged her glass of wine before raping her.
Swalwell has maintained he did not assault anyone or engage in other sexual misconduct, but acknowledged both on social media and in his resignation letter that he has made “mistakes in judgement in the past.”
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious false allegations made against me,” Swalwell said in his resignation letter. “However, I must take responsibility and ownership from the mistakes I did make.”
The backlash following the allegations against Swalwell from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress was swift. Many had called for his resignation, and if he resisted, his expulsion from the chamber.
Swalwell opted to quit rather than face a vote for his ouster.
“Washington should be a place where we are elevating and acting with integrity, that’s what the American people expect,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “I am glad that Eric Swalwell is leaving, I’m glad that Tony Gonzales is leaving.”
“I think they both would have been expelled, anyway. I think it was a bipartisan majority to expel them. I am glad they resigned instead,” added Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fl.
“Democrats and Republicans, if there’s one thing that we can agree on, it’s not protecting people like this in the House of Representatives, who have knowingly brought dishonor on the House,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fl., of the resignations of Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas.
Gonzalez also resigned Tuesday following the admission of an affair with a former congressional staffer who later died after setting herself on fire. He’s also accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a former campaign aide.
While the Ethics Committee will drop its investigation into Swalwell now that he has resigned, the investigations by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is ongoing. Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for a special election to fill the vacant 14th Congressional seat on Aug. 18.