Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14), who is also a candidate for California governor, is fiercely denying rumors that he sexually harassed dozens of staffers and interns over several years, accusing his opponents and “MAGA conspiracy theorists” of starting those rumors.
Swalwell’s spokesman, Micah Beasley, said:
“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race.”
The rumors have swirled online for weeks among California political observers and consultants, with some prominent and well-connected Democrats echoing them. One such consultant is Michael Trujillo, who’s worked with Hillary Clinton, Rob Reiner, and Antonio Villaraigosa, one of Swalwell’s opponents. On March 22, he wrote in a since-deleted X post:
“I guess Swalwell can enjoy today, but folks know he slept with many of his interns while married, sexually harassed others while engaged, has a ton of weird texts late at night saved on former interns phones still, he gets he will have to answer for this later on…”
His post was echoed by Keith Edwards, former communications director for The Lincoln Project, who added, “I’ll just say this about Eric Swalwell: he knows what he did. And so do other people. Because there are text messages and DMs that confirm it.”
Any comment on this @ericswalwell pic.twitter.com/eV1xEZt4Ft
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) March 22, 2026
Arielle Fodor, the “gentle parenting” TikTok’er who was one of Kamala Harris’ social media influencers, says she was warned about Swalwell last November after he posted her on his Instagram story and that she has “personal friends who say they’ve had run-ins with him.” She also said that “no less than a dozen people” had come to her with allegations that Swalwell “had inappropriate relationships with young staffers” and that they’d been occurring for years.
Eric Swalwell is somehow the frontrunner in the California governor race despite these allegations https://t.co/g5ROf7sqcM pic.twitter.com/MItVxAgbPn
— Kylie Cheung (@kylietcheung) March 23, 2026
In that post, Fodor didn’t say that she had spoken to any of the staffers or people with personal knowledge, but a few days after her post, Cheyenne Hunt, a Democrat activist and attorney in California who also worked for Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Capitol Hill, posted a video that took the story national.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is now being exposed for alleged sexual harassment of his interns.
This lawyer, Cheyenne Hunt, is going public about the scandal and encouraging other women who have been victimized by Swalwell to come forward.
Please watch her video, read her thread,… https://t.co/8TKxTEx68Z pic.twitter.com/uGPnpd51oa
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 6, 2026
On Sunday, Hunt posted a lengthy thread on X saying she was “working with a number of women who are in the process of coming forward and sharing their stories of sexual harassment and even alleged abuse at the hands of Eric Swalwell.” The first victim who approached her, she said, was a close friend, then others came forward whose “experiences fit the same pattern of manipulation and abuse of power” her friend experienced. Hunt secured pro bono legal representation for the women, she said, so they could be legally protected while sharing their stories.
I got involved because the first victim who approached me is a close friend, but when I saw that there were others who’s [sic] experiences fit the same pattern of manipulation and abuse of power, I knew I couldn’t stay silent.
Targeting employees, interns, and fans. Acting as a mentor just to exploit that power. DMs and Snapchat messages. Allegations ranging from uncomfortable comments to potentially criminal conduct
Other women needed to know that they were not alone and that someone had their backs if they came forward. After I spoke about my friend’s experience, many brave women came forward and shared their stories with me
We have secured pro bono legal representation for them and they are in the process of sharing information with reporters and ensuring that they are physically and legally safe. That process takes time.
The number of credible women who have come forward since I posted my video is pretty shocking and connecting them with the investigative reporting teams who have been working on breaking this for years has greatly expedited this process. I am confident this story will break soon
I understand that people want as much information as possible regarding these women, their stories, and their identities. The problem is, most of these women stayed silent because they believe that they are alone in their experience & that coming forward could ruin their careers
It appears that others may have stayed quiet due to a belief that non-disclosure agreements required them to keep this secret. While it is true that most NDAs would be unenforceable under these circumstances, most people don’t know that until they speak to a lawyer.
I spoke about this before the story broke to encourage other women to come forward and to help ensure this story breaks as soon as possible because I am not blind to the fact that this will obviously have implications in the CA governor’s race.
I also work in politics. Having this conversation publicly makes me a liability. But I do not believe in holding republicans to a different standard than we are willing to uphold ourselves. No more predators in power, from either party, period.
It should be noted that Hunt attended UC Irvine School of Law, where one of the professors, at least for her first semester, was Katie Porter, one of Swalwell’s opponents.
As the story has gained traction, politicos from both sides of the aisle have come forward to say that Swalwell’s creepiness was well-known in DC.
Former Rep. George Santos said, “Eric is a creep, and that was well known on the hill when I was there… but according to a former staffer of miners of this behavior pre dates me and was known to democratic leadership and they did NOTHING!”
Bri Gillis, a veteran Democrat campaign advisor who once interned for Rep. Chuck Schumer, said in reply to the reports, “Anyone who has been in DC for five minutes knows this. It’s actually wild it took this long.” She added that she knows “many” who were either victims or had “personal relations” with him.
Political fundraiser Caragan Thiel, who’s worked for Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) and Sen. Ruben Gallego, said, “I cannot overstate how much of an open secret this is in politics. His colleagues are aware of this. It’s a shame it took this long to come out publicly.”
Bhavik Lathia, a Democrat strategist who worked as Battleground Mobilization Director for Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign, wrote:
“Hey, I just got off the phone with a trusted friend. This is real. Take it seriously. Eric Swallwell cannot be our nominee. There is going to be a lot more coming out soon. I can’t say more right now, but stay tuned. And this isn’t some partisan witch hunt. These are real Dem women coming forward. A lot of this shit is going to shock yall.”
Both Fodor and Hunt, and any leftists who amplify their message, are being hammered by Democrats who are so afraid that there might be two Republicans on the ballot for California governor in November that they’re willing to ignore what Swalwell is alleged to have done. Fodor’s reply:
At this point there are allegations against Swalwell from his start in Dublin all the way into ‘25.
This was being investigated DURING HIS PRESIDENTIAL RUN & he still ran for Gov!
Before you get mad about timing, ask Eric why he decided to put California in this position?!
She also says that Swalwell’s camp is running opposition research on her to attempt to discredit her and that she’s lost professional opportunities, but all that has done is steeled her resolve.
I have been called every name in the book over the past few weeks. I have lost opportunities. I have been professionally & personally scrutinized & side-eyed.
But all the followers in the world are worth NOTHING if I do not tell the truth & use my platform to do what is right.
— mrs.frazzled (@ms_frazzled) April 6, 2026
And Hunt calls Swalwell’s denial “morally repugnant.”
Smearing survivors with claims that they “teamed up with MAGA” is morally repugnant. These women are brave and deserve to be heard. We are working with legal counsel and the investigative team of a highly reputable outlet to ensure that those stories are told the right way.
— Cheyenne Hunt (@CheyenneHuntCA) April 7, 2026
Swalwell is scheduled to hold a town hall in Sacramento tonight; it will be interesting to see what unfolds.
Editor’s Note: Hollywood, academia, and liberal elites are out of touch with the average American.
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