The Arizona senator said their families were “as close as could be.”
Scandal rocks the National Diet building ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele takes a deep dive into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking politics ahead of the midterm elections.
WASHINGTON – In a matter of days, allegations of sexual misconduct ended Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign, his decade-long Congressional career and perhaps his future in American political life.
They also killed a famous friendship on Capitol Hill.
During a sometimes emotional press conference on April 14, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., spoke of how the two families “couldn’t be closer.” Their children went to baseball camp together and they had family dinners, he said.
Mr. Gallego told reporters that their closeness clouded his judgment of his fellow Democrat’s character, accusing him of being a “predator” and leading a “double life.”
“I failed. I’m human,” he said. “I trusted this person. I trusted him to look after my children.”
In his resignation letter, Swalwell vowed to fight what he called “materially false allegations” against him. He also said he “deeply regrets” past “misjudgments” (though he did not elaborate on what those mistakes were).
In the days since, multiple news reports, including the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN, have detailed new allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against Swalwell. Shortly after canceling the gubernatorial race, he resigned from Congress amid a possible vote to expel him from the House.
A day after the California congressman announced his resignation from the Capitol, Gallego admitted he had previously heard rumors that Swalwell was “flirty.” However, he denied ever witnessing or being aware of any inappropriate behavior.
“To be clear, I had no knowledge of any predatory behavior, sexual assault or harassment,” he said.
Gallego has promised to release text messages between him and Swalwell if required by legal or ethical process.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him at @ZachSchermele on X and @zachschermele.bsky.social on Bluesky..
