You will be less than surprised to find out California Democrats already knew about the myriad of sexual misconduct allegations against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14).
At least two Democratic politicians in the Golden State admitted they were aware of Swalwell’s alleged extracurricular activities with women, which suggests far more on the left also knew about the matter.
During an interview on CNN, Rep. Sam Liccardo (CA-16) confirmed he knew about the rumors surrounding Swalwell’s sexual escapades. “I first heard about the rumors when Swalwell announced his run for governor in November and knew political consultants who talk about what we call oppo files, these opposition records that political consultants compile, talking about Swalwell's sexual misconduct,” he said.
He quickly noted that “At that time, nobody was talking about rape, as we’re hearing now. It was not sexual assault, but clearly sexual misconduct, abuse of his position.”
Courageous survivors deserve to heard fully, not threatened with cease-and-desist letters from their assailant. Swalwell must halt his campaign, resign from office, and face the consequences of a full investigation. Democrats must not equivocate in the face of uncomfortable…
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) April 11, 2026
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is also running for governor, also acknowledged hearing about Swalwell’s alleged behavior. “I think many of us had heard the rumors as well. Never seen any corroboration. But, certainly, I think that the word had gone out. Look, these are public servants,” Becerra said.
He continued, “They should know they’re going to be held accountable. So, one way or the other, the facts are going to come forward.”
RedState’s Jennifer Van Laar, who often reports on California politics, wrote a post on X in which she explained that California Democrats “have ALL known about Swalwell for at least 6 years and some legacy media orgs have been working since then to get the women on the record.”
I've had a lot of texts tonight from very well-connected people in CA politics on the other side of the aisle
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) April 9, 2026
They have ALL known about Swalwell for at least 6 years and some legacy media orgs have been working since then to get the women on the record
Buckle up. Now that Dems…
The scandal erupted when multiple women came forward to detail their experiences with Swalwell. They accused him of sexual harassment and even sexual assault.
Former model and tech entrepreneur Lonna Drewes held a conference with her attorneys on Tuesday and accused the former lawmaker of drugging and raping her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2018. “He raped me and he choked me,” she said.
Her account is similar to claims made by the other women. Swalwell acknowledged making “mistakes in judgment” but denied the allegations and said he will fight them in court. His attorney, Sara Azari, called the allegations a “calculated and transparent political hit job.”
Soon after the accusations went public, Swalwell dropped out of the governor’s race. Just after that, he announced he was resigning from Congress amid calls from people on both sides of the aisle to step down or face expulsion.
The overarching question here is obvious; If These people knew that Swalwell was an alleged sexual abuser, why did they wait until he threw his hat into the governor's race to do something about it? If he hadn't decided to run for governor, would these allegations have remained concealed?
There's no way to know for sure, but I would bet that Swalwell's activities wouldn't have come to light. Indeed, you might remember when former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was hit with similar allegations when he became a political albatross around the Democratic Party's neck.
Unfortunately, this is how politics works. People willingly abandon their stated principles when it is politically expedient. In the end, it is the victims who suffer.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member