Representative Eric Swalwell, a prominent candidate in the California gubernatorial contest, encountered escalating demands on Sunday to vacate his House seat after media reports detailed allegations of sexual assault. Several Democratic colleagues publicly said he should resign from Congress as questions mounted and official inquiries were reported.
Two days after The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported that one woman who previously worked in Swalwell's district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters, and CNN said three other women had made sexual misconduct allegations, Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Eugene Vindman each told morning television audiences that Swalwell ought to step down.
Swalwell has denied the accusations, calling them "absolutely false" and saying he would contest them. The representative, who serves a California district and is a front-runner in the state's gubernatorial primary, has pledged to fight the claims.
Lawmakers' reactions and calls for investigations
On Sunday, Representative Ro Khanna, speaking on Fox News Sunday, described the allegations as "sick and disgusting" and said law enforcement and House ethics probes should take place. Jayapal and Vindman, appearing on Sunday morning programs, also urged Swalwell to leave Congress.
The Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed on Saturday that it is investigating the sexual assault allegations, adding a formal legal inquiry to the public and congressional scrutiny of the matter.
Expulsion threats and cross-party pressure
As calls for Swalwell to withdraw from the governor's race intensified, several lawmakers said they would support a motion to expel him from the House if he refused to resign. Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, told NBC's Meet the Press that he would back such an effort, and Representative Pramila Jayapal, also appearing on Meet the Press, said she would vote to expel Swalwell if a motion were offered.
On social media Saturday, Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, said she intended to file a motion to expel Swalwell and told Fox News she planned to file the disciplinary motion next week.
Parallel disciplinary matters involving other members
The situation surrounding Swalwell comes amid other House disciplinary controversies. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, faces the possibility of an expulsion vote after a House panel concluded she violated ethics rules. A grand jury indicted her in November on accusations she stole pandemic relief funds and directed that money to her 2021 congressional campaign; she has denied wrongdoing. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republicans have urged moves to remove both Swalwell and Cherfilus-McCormick, while Democrats have pushed for an expulsion of Representative Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican under a House investigation for sexual misconduct allegations. Gonzales did not immediately return a request for comment. Last month he said he would not seek re-election later this year.
Representative Byron Donalds told Meet the Press he wanted both Swalwell and Gonzales to leave Congress. Representative Ro Khanna, while calling on Swalwell to resign, said he also believed there were other members, including Gonzales, who should step down.
What remains unresolved
Investigations are underway and several lawmakers have said they would support formal House discipline if Swalwell does not resign, but no expulsion vote has been initiated publicly at this time. Some members who face separate ethics and criminal matters also await further action. Requests for comment to the offices of Cherfilus-McCormick and Gonzales did not receive immediate responses.
The unfolding developments add to pressure on Swalwell as he continues to contest allegations that he has publicly refuted and as both legal and congressional scrutiny proceed.