Eric Swalwell said it himself, on camera, with the conviction of a man who had absolutely no idea what the next few weeks would look like. The clip is now making the rounds as one of the most self-immolating soundbites in recent California political history — a gubernatorial candidate drawing a hard line against violence against women while, according to four accusers and a Manhattan DA investigation, allegedly doing exactly that to women who worked for him.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Swalwell delivered the line while positioning himself as the frontrunner in a crowded California governor’s race, leaning hard into a progressive, women-first platform. The San Francisco Chronicle’s bombshell dropped April 10, detailing a former staffer’s account of two alleged sexual assaults — one in a hotel room in 2019 when she was an intern, one at a New York gala in 2024. Three more women followed with their own accounts. The Manhattan DA opened a criminal investigation. His own staff quit and called him out by name.
Swalwell spent years building a brand on exactly this issue. He went after Brett Kavanaugh hard in 2018, arguing publicly that accusers must be believed and allegations immediately investigated — no asterisks, no “wait for the facts.” He told voters he’d spent his career “going to court on behalf of victims, particularly sexual assault victims.” He sat on the House Intelligence Committee while reportedly entangled with a Chinese spy named Fang Fang. Now his attorney is on CNN talking about “lapses in judgment” without being able to explain what that means.
The clip of him pledging zero tolerance for violence against women isn’t just embarrassing — it’s the closing argument against him, delivered by Swalwell himself. Adam Schiff called him the “values candidate.” Nancy Pelosi said the accuser “must be respected and heard.” His own campaign staff called his behavior “abhorrent.” He suspended his campaign Sunday. The Manhattan DA is still investigating. The video, meanwhile, isn’t going anywhere.