All posts tagged "eric swalwell"

Disgraced ex-congressman threatened to expose Katie Miller romance in DOJ dust-up: report

Stephen Miller's wife used to be involved with a disgraced former congressman she later criticized, per a new report.

According to reporting by Sources Say, right-wing podcaster Katie Miller had a former fling with Eric Swalwell. Miller was in a relationship with Swalwell a decade ago, when she interned and then worked as a congressional staffer in her early 20s, Sources Say reported.

The relationship took place years before Miller married her husband, the White House deputy chief of staff, in 2020, reporting by The Daily Beast noted.

However, Miller and her husband were vocal critics of Swalwell when he faced sexual misconduct allegations and ultimately dropped out of the California gubernatorial race.

The past relationship surfaced because Swalwell's team allegedly leaned on it in a fight over Department of Justice records, according to Sources Say. Miller said she was unaware that the past relationship was discussed with the DOJ.

FBI Director Kash Patel moved this year to release files documenting Swalwell's contact with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang. Swalwell's team argued the release was an attempt to weaponize the FBI, and pointed to his history with Miller to press the point, Sources Say reported.

Swalwell sent Patel a cease-and-desist letter branding the planned release a bid to smear him and sink his run for governor, and warning it could expose the FBI to legal liability, Sources Say reported. Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi — who oversees the FBI as head of the Justice Department — ultimately declined to authorize the release, according to the outlet.

Bondi told Sources Say her only contact with Swalwell concerned death threats against his wife and children. Swalwell has denied that Bondi tipped him off about the FBI's plans, Sources Say reported.

Sources Say reported that Stephen Miller accused Democrats in April of keeping "blackmail files" on their own members after the misconduct allegations against Swalwell emerged.

Swalwell resigned his House seat that month after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, including one allegation of rape, per The Daily Beast. He has denied the allegations.

Dem with close ties to Swalwell denies knowing of misconduct: 'This man led a double life'

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) fervently denied to reporters on Tuesday that he had any knowledge of the sexual assault and harassment allegations surrounding Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).

Gallego and Swalwell were reportedly close personal and professional friends, and Gallego had previously chaired Swalwell's run for president in 2020. This week he denounced Swalwell's allegations of inappropriate behavior and tried to distance himself from the lawmaker.

"We knew each other differently from anybody else," Gallego said. "My family and his family were as close as it gets. Our kids were in baseball together, we had dinner together as a family. It was entirely different, I think, than what people understand."

He described what happened between the two when he confronted Swalwell.

"When there was rumors going around a couple weeks ago, not of the full extent of what I read in the San Francisco Chronicle, I did ask him and he lied to me," Gallego said. "He knew that I just came off a very, very hard campaign for two years, where they lied about me and my family for two years. He manipulated me to have the same sentiment that I was having... and used this opportunity to move me to defend him. This man led a double life. He lied to us. He lied to his family, his constituents, even the most powerful people in the country. Again, I was manipulated, I was lied to, everyone else was, too."

Gallego also denied he was in a video circulating online of Swalwell apparently kissing a woman, saying that it was not him in the video next to Swalwell.

"This is an example of the lies. No, I was not sitting next to him, I was not in the room, I don't even know where it happened," Gallego added.

Swalwell, who was running to be California governor in the upcoming primary election, has bowed out of the election and stepped down from his current role in Congress after several former staffers made serious accusations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell initially denied the allegations then decided to exit the race and resign from Congress after a House Ethics Committee this week announced it had planned to investigate him. He vaguely admitted to "mistakes in judgment" via a post on X.

"I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past," Swalwell said. "I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."

Gallego: "When there was rumors going around a couple weeks ago, not of the full extent of what I read in the San Francisco Chronicle, I did ask him and he lied to me ... this man led a double life" pic.twitter.com/adxr3epsJ7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2026

Q: There's video online of Eric Swalwell making out a woman. Is that you next to him?

GALLEGO: This is an example of the lies. No, I was not sitting next to him, I was not in the room, I don't even know where it happened. pic.twitter.com/tNclNUCkFh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2026

'Campaign in free fall': Swalwell hemorrhaging staff as Dem leaders call for exit

California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) was facing calls to step out of the competitive race and lost the last of his 21 endorsements from his Democratic congressional colleagues after sexual misconduct and assault allegations surfaced, according to reports on Saturday.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) rescinded her support for Swalwell, who had been leading the Golden State primary election for Democratic candidates, Axios reported.

"It's a stunning reversal of political fortunes in just 24 hours. Swalwell was among the frontrunners in the race, but his campaign is in free fall due to allegations of rape, sexual assault and misconduct, which he denies," according to Axios.

"His page on the Democratic fundraising website ActBlue and the endorsement tab on his website have been pulled down, his ad buys are being pulled back, at least one fundraiser has been scrapped, and he is reportedly hemorrhaging staff," the outlet reported.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced on Saturday that it launched an investigation into Swalwell after multiple women have accused the gubernatorial candidate of sexual misconduct, and in one instance, sexual assault.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said she has planned to force a vote to expel him from Congress.

"It's not just Swalwell's erstwhile endorsers calling for him to drop out of the race — party leaders are urging him to do so as well. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement that he should 'immediately end his campaign,'" Axios reported.

California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks shared a similar sentiment.

"My call for all — repeat, all — candidates for Governor to 'honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign' still stands. In fact, that call is more important now than ever before," Hicks said in a statement.

FBI agents blew the whistle on Trump's attempt to interfere in major gov race: lawmaker

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, on Friday debunked reports that said the president was angry with Pam Bondi and suspected the now former attorney general had tipped off a candidate for California governor about a potentially damaging FBI investigation about him and his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.

Swalwell told CNN anchor Pamela Brown that he denied the claims, saying he did not have any direct conversations with either Bondi or now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. He called out Trump for attempting to interfere in the upcoming California gubernatorial election in May, a crowded race that Swalwell has been leading as the top Democratic contender according to recent polls.

"No, absolutely not," Swalwell said. "In fact, it's laughable. And the president was tweeting about this at 4:45 in the morning yesterday. Again, we're at war. And the FBI is focused on interfering in a California governor's race where I am leading, when they should just be focused on the homeland."

Swalwell suggested what actually happened.

"And it looks like from the Washington Post and New York Times reporting that they were tipped off by FBI agents who were alarmed that the president and the FBI director would use the FBI to try and interfere in an election 30 days before Californians start voting," Swalwell added. "They should just focus on bringing down the gas prices and protecting the homeland. That's what I'm focused on in my job in Congress and my candidacy to be governor of California. They should do the same."

Pam Bondi reportedly fired for alerting Trump's enemy to damaging FBI probe

Attorney General Pam Bondi's ousting was reportedly spurred by President Donald Trump's suspicion that she went behind his back to tell his enemy that a potentially damaging FBI investigation was coming.

Trump spoke with Bondi just before his Iran speech on Wednesday night, letting her know she would be removed from the job, Phillip Nieto, political reporter for The Daily Mail, wrote on X.

"Trump's reasoning for the sudden dismissal comes in part because the President believes Bondi tipped off Eric Swalwell about the FBI’s efforts to release investigative documents related to his relationship with Christine Fang," Nieto wrote.

Swalwell, a Democratic congressman and current California governor candidate, has been a prominent critic of Trump. He has frequently appeared on cable news to discuss the president's legal troubles and political controversies. In retaliation, Trump has repeatedly targeted Swalwell, including efforts to publicize an old FBI counterintelligence file involving Swalwell's relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, Fang, though Swalwell was never accused of wrongdoing in connection to that.

Trump just revealed exactly who scares him most — and handed Dems a gift: analyst

Latino GOP political consultant Mike Madrid revealed who President Donald Trump is most worried about.

In his Substack post published Monday, Madrid explained why Trump has begun viewing Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a Democrat running in a crowded primary for California's governor, as "public enemy number one."

Swalwell has publicly criticized Trump and his administration on a number of policies. And most recently, FBI Director Kash Patel has been pushing to publicly release a decade-old investigative file involving Swalwell and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, although the lawmaker was never formally accused of wrongdoing.

"When the most powerful man in the world deploys the full machinery of federal law enforcement against a California gubernatorial candidate running in a crowded primary nobody’s paying much attention to, he’s doing more than just punching down," Madrid wrote. "He’s telling you exactly who he’s afraid of."

"Donald Trump may have just made Eric Swalwell the most important Democrat in America," Madrid added.

Democrats in California have signaled concerns over the crowded race and which candidate might take the lead in the primary.

"The race has lacked a gravitational center - a candidate capable of generating the kind of national attention that transforms a primary into a movement," Madrid explained. "Trump just provided one."

Trump's move to single out Swalwell and launch the federal investigation against his foe could end up backfiring, Madrid argued.

"Trump may have just solved the Democratic party’s primary problem for them," Madrid wrote. "There is something both sinister and almost poetically stupid about this moment."

Because Trump knows what could happen if Swalwell ultimately does win the gubernatorial election.

"A Swalwell governorship would hand Democrats something they desperately need: a national platform for the resistance lodged inside the largest state in the union, occupied by a man who has already proven he will spend every waking hour making Donald Trump’s life miserable," Madrid wrote. "A governor Swalwell with California’s budget, its bully pulpit, its legal firepower and its 39 million residents would be an adversary unlike anything Trump has faced from a state executive."

As Trump has attempted to destroy Swalwell's reputation, it may have triggered the opposite result.

"Sometimes the greatest gift a tyrant can give his opposition is his fear. Trump is telling the country that his fear is focused on one man at the moment and that man is Eric Swalwell," Madrid added.

Florida man hit with charges after allegedly threatening Trump, Swalwell and Powell

A man in Florida who allegedly threatened President Donald Trump, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was indicted this month, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Diego Villavicencio now faces a four-count indictment, which was filed last week in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida Tallahassee Division. The indictment alleges that Villavicencio threatened Swalwell and wrote "I’ll kill you and your family and you won’t do anything about it" and also threatened an unnamed person and wrote that they would "be shot and killed September 23."

Villavicencio allegedly also threatened Trump and wrote the following: “I’ll be driving there to take a couple of shots at trump and some other corrupt plutocrats.”

Swalwell, a current 2026 candidate for California governor and vocal critic of the president, has confirmed that an unnamed member of Congress cited in the indictment was him, according to NBC News. Swalwell was an impeachment manager in Trump's second impeachment trial and has been the target of multiple threats. Swalwell also said that Attorney General Pam Bondi had "refused" to prosecute threats against him and discussed it with her during her testimony to congressional leaders.

“The aim of this threat was to silence me,” Swalwell told NBC News. “Political violence has never been the answer. And it never will be. My family and I are grateful to the Department of Justice for their attention to this violent threat.”

Powell appeared to be another unnamed person in the criminal complaint. An FBI affidavit revealed that one of the posts had read "Jerome is next." That threat, which came before the Sept. 23 Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce 2025 Economic Outlook Luncheon where Powell was a speaker, was reported to the FBI by a senior agent.

Villavicencio was arrested last month. His trial is scheduled for May.

MAGA commentator forced to delete 'defamatory' post after Dem's 'You have 24 hours' threat

A Democratic lawmaker on Saturday announced that a right-wing commentator had deleted a "defamatory" statement, after a legal threat.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) put a right-wing influencer on notice Friday night that unless they walk back a series of inflammatory claims within 24 hours, they would face dire legal consequences.

On Friday morning, X user “JoeM,” a right-wing political commentator who’s amassed more than 53,000 followers, hurled a series of unverified claims against the congressman that have not been supported by any reputable news outlets, claims including infidelity and embezzlement, and with supposed quotes directly from Swalwell’s wife.

Rather than refute each unverified claim, Swalwell simply put the right-wing commentator on notice.

“You can take down this bulls--- or hire the best lawyer you can afford,” Swalwell wrote in a social media post on X Friday night. “You have 24 hours. Tick tock.”

Then the following day Swalwell provided an update, as well as some encouragement for others in his political camp.

"BREAKING @GeneralJoeM17 DELETES his defamatory tweet," Swalwell wrote on social media on Saturday. "Stay on offense my friends."

Dem reps hit out at 'mother-murdering thugs' and prep bill to strip ICE immunity

Democratic Party representatives are preparing a bill to strip ICE agent immunity, making convictions easier in future.

Congressman Eric Swalwell and congressman Dan Goldman confirmed they would work on a bill to prevent "mother-murdering thugs" from continuing with their controversial immigration order. Speaking to The New Republic, Swalwell denounced Donald Trump and the ICE agents' aims.

He said, "Donald Trump has sent these mother-murdering thugs into our community. And of course this is what was gonna happen because it started with putting ICE in the streets and then deporting a six-year-old, stage 4 cancer victim, U.S. citizen, dragging women by their hair. Those apparently were the lucky ones when you look at what happened to Ms. Good."

Renee Good was shot dead by ICE agents earlier this week in Minneapolis. A separate incident in Portland saw two people hospitalized after being shot by Border Patrol representatives.

Swalwell and Goldman believe restrictions currently in place make it hard for courts of law to take action against ICE agents. The bill has since been explained by Goldman, with the hope being it would be "difficult" for an ICE agent to use "subjective" arguments.

Goldman explained, "Yeah, well, basically what the officer is going to say would be that, I personally, subjectively, myself believed that she was driving her car right at me and using her car to try to run me over, and therefore I had to shoot her in self-defense."

"And because the standard is subjective and it allows for the officer’s own view to carry a lot of weight, it will be very difficult for him to be prosecuted with the current status of qualified immunity.

So what this bill does is only for civil enforcement officers—not criminal enforcement officers who are dealing with real bad guys, not moms driving cars it—would say that it’s an objective test."

"And if you are acting completely outside of your duties and responsibilities, you don’t have immunity from a civil lawsuit and you don’t have a defense from a criminal charge."

Part of the bill would remove the protection against lawsuits from victims who allege their constitutional rights were violated by an agent. Swalwell added, "It’s very hard today with qualified immunity to bring a civil action against somebody who has that immunity."

"We see these guys as acting as if they’re invincible, they’re untouchable—that they can drag women by their hair, throw them in vans that are unidentified, and now shoot them three times in the face and nothing will happen to them."

"So yes, civilly, this puts them into a place where they can be liable. And criminally, it knocks out a defense that they would otherwise enjoy, which would make a prosecutor think twice as they try and put forward a case that they’d have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt."

'Save your documents': Dem lawmaker gives Trump official an ominous legal threat

A Democratic lawmaker on Sunday told a Donald Trump official to "save his documents" in preparation for a court battle.

On Saturday, "WE CAUGHT HIM!" were the first public words from Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has been targeted by Trump's administration, after a report revealed that a Trump nominee sourced the investigation from a conservative news site.

Reuters exclusively reported over the weekend that, "A mortgage fraud probe of a Democratic congressman began last month after William Pulte, the Republican head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, referred allegations from a conservative news site to his agency’s inspector general for possible criminal investigation."

The report continues:

"On November 12, The Gateway Pundit published an article alleging U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell had improperly listed his Washington, D.C., home as his 'principal residence' on mortgage paperwork... An email reviewed by Reuters shows Pulte sent a link to the article to the FHFA’s acting inspector general that day, urging him to take all appropriate action 'including - if warranted -engagement with the Department of Justice regarding potential mortgage, tax or other fraud related to the representations made in mortgage documents or other items in the below article.' That same day, Pulte also referred the issue to the Justice Department, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly."

Swalwell celebrated the report on Saturday, saying, "WE CAUGHT HIM!"

The following day, he took things even further. Swalwell said, "Save your documents, Pulte."

"We will see you soon," he added. "Next time, don’t come for me unless I call for you."