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Manhattan DA to investigate Swalwell over sexual assault allegation

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/11/26 4:18 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/11/26 4:18 PM ET

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office on Saturday said it is investigating Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), the front-runner in the crowded California gubernatorial race, in connection with a sexual assault allegation from a former staffer, multiple outlets reported.

The former staffer alleged that after a night of drinking with Swalwell in New York City in April 2024, she woke up in a hotel bed to him having sex with her, CNN reported. She was not working for the congressman at the time of the incident.

“We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373,” Bragg’s office said in a statement obtained by the outlet and NBC 4 New York. “Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators, and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”

The Hill has reached out to Bragg’s office and Swalwell’s campaign for comment.

Swalwell slammed the San Francisco Chronicle‘s reporting of the allegation and denied it on Friday.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

Swalwell is facing pressure from Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), to drop out of the Golden State’s gubernatorial race. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Ariz.) said she will file a motion to expel Swalwell from office.

Staffers from Swalwell’s congressional office and gubernatorial campaign released an unsigned letter stating that the reports of the allegations are “abhorrent, beneath the dignity of those serving in public office and betrays the trust of all Californians,” Politico reported. They added that they stood with their “former colleague, and the other women who have come forward.”

The Chronicle reported the account of a woman who said she worked for Swalwell for almost two years. She recounted two incidents with Swalwell while driving him, one where she accused him of kissing her and the other where she said he asked her to perform oral sex on him.

She also alleged of another incident in September 2019 that was similar to what happened in New York City. She told the Chronicle that after the two drank, she was unable to remember the rest of the evening before she woke up in the California Democrat’s hotel bed. The woman added that she could, as the Chronicle described, “feel the effect of vaginal intercourse.”

She did not go to the authorities, saying she was afraid that they would not believe her.

The Chronicle shared the account with Swalwell’s campaign on Thursday before publication. His attorney Elias Debaie replied back in a cease-and-desist letter that the woman had “the conduct of a loyal and supportive colleague, not a victim.”

Debaie added that “the credibility of your accusations is fatally undermined by your voluntary and cooperative relationship with Mr. Swalwell over the course of many years following the period in question.”

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