Eric Swalwell Faces DOJ Investigation: Report
The Justice Department is investigating multiple sexual assault allegations involving former California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, a person familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Swalwell's political standing deteriorated rapidly over the past week after allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including once when she worked for him in 2019 and again after a 2024 charity gala, became public; the woman said she was too intoxicated to consent in both encounters, while Swalwell denied the accusations and called them false.
Democratic leaders moved quickly to distance themselves, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar calling for a swift investigation and for Swalwell to end his California governor campaign, while Adam Schiff withdrew his endorsement and Ruben Gallego said he regretted initially defending him before knowing more information.
Swalwell then suspended his gubernatorial campaign on April 12, saying the fight over the allegations was his alone, not his campaign's. He followed that by announcing he would resign from Congress, ending a House career that began after his 2012 election from a district east of San Francisco and that later made him a national Democratic figure through service on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees and as one of several Democratic prosecutors in Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee under his supervision, adding an institutional consequence to the political fallout.
The allegations expanded beyond the initial account. CNN later described three additional women accusing Swalwell of other sexual misconduct, including sending unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos, while AP separately reported a California woman said Swalwell raped her in 2018 and planned to make a law-enforcement report; Swalwell denied wrongdoing and said he would pursue legal remedies against what he called lies. The political fallout has renewed attention on Swalwell’s wife, Brittany Watts, whom he married in October 2016; she has remained largely private, has not commented publicly, and the couple have three children.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 7:56 PM.