At least seven Democratic members of the House called on Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to resign from Congress amid sexual assault allegations before the House gaveled back in on April 13 following a recess, with several vowing to vote for his expulsion if he refuses.
The calls grew over the weekend as lawmakers from the Democratic Party broke with Swalwell following an April 10 report by the San Francisco Chronicle. A former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her while she was intoxicated on two occasions, once in 2019 while she was employed by him and again after a charity gala in 2024. Swalwell has denied the allegations.
Swalwell suspended his bid for California governor on April 12 but has not indicated he will leave Congress.
In an April 11 post to social media, Swalwell said the allegations made against him are false.
“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen, they have never happened. I will fight them with everything I have. They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the front-runner candidate for governor in California,” he said.
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I’m perfect or that I’m a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position. I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on April 12 that she would vote to expel Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who admitted to an affair with a former staffer who later committed suicide. He abandoned his reelection bid last month.
“I would. I’ve already said that I think that these charges and allegations, and the pattern of abuse, in Congressman Gonzalez’s case, he actually admitted to the harassment with his staffer,” Jayapal said when asked by NBC’s Kristen Welker if she would vote to remove him. “This is also important for staffers across the Capitol to see that their bosses don’t get to do this to them.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) said in a post on X that she would introduce a resolution to expel Gonzales and support an existing resolution to expel Swalwell.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on March 21, 2024. (House Judiciary GOP YouTube/Twitter/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)
“Men in power rely on the silence of the women they have abused,” Fernández wrote in a statement posted to X. “Both Reps. Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell believed it was acceptable to sexually abuse staff and still run for and serve in elected office. They clearly did not expect there would be any consequences for their actions. Thankfully, the women refused to be silenced.”
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) wrote in an April 11 post on X that Swalwell “all but admits a per se abuse of power under House ethics rules: sex with a subordinate. He must now drop out of the Governor’s race and resign from Congress.”
More than 50 of Swalwell’s former staffers signed a letter urging him to resign from Congress.
“Remaining in either role while these allegations hang unresolved is an insult to every person who has ever worked for him, reported to him, or placed their trust in him,” the former staffers wrote.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 9, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Democratic whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) had called for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial campaign and for a swift investigation but did not explicitly call for his resignation from Congress.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she would file a motion to expel Swalwell. Expelling a member of the House requires a two-thirds majority vote.
The Epoch Times did not receive an immediate response from the offices of Swalwell and Gonzales for comment prior to publication.
Algdra Fredly and Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
