Federal law enforcement agents conducted a search of former Representative Eric Swalwell’s Washington residence and seized electronic devices from the ex-Democratic congressman at San Francisco airport, according to a person familiar with the matter. The actions were undertaken as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Swalwell.
Swalwell announced his resignation from Congress in April following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman twice, including during her employment by him. Initial reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN detailed the allegations, and CNN subsequently reported that three additional women had made allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell, including claims that he had sent unsolicited explicit messages and nude photographs. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office confirmed in April that it was investigating the former congressman after a former staffer alleged that Swalwell had raped her at a hotel in New York City during attendance at a charity gala in 2024.
One of the women making allegations against Swalwell, Lonna Drewes, stated publicly that Swalwell had assaulted her in 2018 at a Southern California hotel. Swalwell has denied the allegations against him. An attorney representing Drewes stated that his team was cooperating with law enforcement agencies investigating Swalwell and expressed encouragement regarding the expansion of the FBI’s investigation into the allegations.
Swalwell served in the House beginning in 2012, representing a district east of San Francisco. He had emerged as a prominent Democratic opponent of former President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term, serving on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees. Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee in 2023 based on his previous contact with Christine Fang, a person suspected of being a Chinese intelligence operative. Swalwell stated that he discontinued contact with Fang in 2015 after federal investigators briefed him on their concerns. A House Ethics Committee investigation opened in 2021 closed two years later without action taken against him.
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