Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego came out publicly against former Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday, accusing the California Democrat of lying to his friends and family about his alleged affairs all while living “a double life.”
Gallego, who has been close with Swalwell for years, denied any knowledge or involvement in Swalwell’s alleged sexual misconduct toward a staff member and other women. Instead, the Arizona senator, who once defended Swalwell against the accusations, said he was manipulated and deceived by someone he thought was a friend.
“Eric Swalwell lied to all of us,” Gallego told reporters in a lengthy and occasionally emotional press conference on Tuesday. “(Democratic leaders) trusted him with the most sensitive spots in our government, whether it was the Judiciary Committee, Intel Committee, impeaching Donald Trump — and that clouded my judgment. My friendship with him, our families’ friendship together with him, clouded my judgment and I was wrong.”
Reports began to emerge over the weekend detailing different accounts from women who said they were sexually assaulted or harassed by the congressman in recent years — including allegations from some of Swalwell’s former staffers.
Swalwell was then pressured to suspend his gubernatorial campaign in California, and later announced on Monday he would resign from his House seat early. Swalwell officially noticed his retirement on Tuesday, which took effect at 2 p.m. on that day.
Gallego said he called Swalwell over the weekend after the reports surfaced to tell him to “get out” of the race and Congress. He hasn’t spoken to Swalwell since, Gallego said.
Rumors circulated about Swalwell for years
Shortly after initial reports against Swalwell dropped, social media posts began circulating online saying that insiders in Washington, D.C., knew of his actions for years. Political operatives began questioning Gallego’s close relationship with Swalwell and whether he was aware of his misconduct.
The pair have worked together over the last decade, as Gallego previously served as a campaign chair for Swalwell’s presidential campaign in 2020. The two remained friends as they both served in the U.S. House of Representatives before Gallego was elected to the Senate in 2024.
Gallego shut down rumors that he had any prior knowledge or involvement in Swalwell’s affairs, telling reporters repeatedly he had never witnessed the California congressman engage in “any behavior, harassment, sexual assault, or even anything that I would say would rise to the occasion that I would not be able to talk to his wife the next day and be able to look her in the eye.”
Gallego acknowledged he had heard rumors in the past about Swalwell being “flirty and sociable” at events. However, the Arizona senator said he incorrectly chose to believe Swalwell’s innocence because of the close relationship with him and his family.
“When he was married and when we were together — as families and at work together — I fell on the fallback that this is not the man that I’m hearing about,” Gallego said.
“This man led a double life,” he said. “He lied to us. He lied to his family, lied to his constituents.”
Gallego agrees to cooperate with investigations
Gallego said he would cooperate with any investigations or inquiries into Swalwell’s misconduct, telling reporters he would hand over text messages or any other requested materials.
“Anybody that asks, or any legal proceedings that need — whatever they want,” Gallego said. “We have nothing to hide. I’m being completely transparent and honest with you about what I knew.”
Moving forward, Gallego said more must be done within the halls of Congress to ensure accountability and foster an environment for staffers to feel comfortable reporting inappropriate behavior without fear of retaliation. That way, Gallego argued, these kinds of stories don’t take years to uncover.
One way to do that is by establishing an independent office where staffers can report untoward behavior — or for lawmakers to submit concerns they hear about their colleagues that can be investigated.
“I do think that there’s an environment here that needs to improve,” Gallego said. “That is, you know, members of Congress hanging out with their staff. And I think that creates a problem, and I think that that is an environment that does kind of create this situation. It’s not the staff’s fault. It’s not these women’s faults. It is his fault. It is the fault of people like him who have power and abuse it for whatever they want to their benefit.”