UPDATE (April 14, 2026, 3:27 p.m. ET): Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., submitted his resignation to the House clerk on Tuesday, effective immediately, after announcing a day earlier that he would step down amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., will resign from Congress in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, he announced Monday.
In a post on X, Swalwell said he plans to resign in light of growing opposition from fellow members, some of whom have proposed bringing an expulsion vote against him.
“Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties,” Swalwell wrote. “Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
Swalwell added that he “will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district.”
He was the second member of Congress to announce his resignation in the span of just a few hours on Monday night. Texas GOPRep. Tony Gonzales recently admitted to an affair with a former aide who later set herself on fire and died. Both Swalwell and Gonzales were under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and their colleagues were considering the extremely rare move of expelling them from the lower chamber entirely.
The announcement marks what is, for now, the culmination in the remarkable downfall of a member of Congress who was a leading Democratic nominee for California governor before his campaign was roiled by serious allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Swalwell has repeatedly denied those allegations, and in his resignation announcement conceded only to “mistakes in judgment.”
His resignation announcement came hours after the House Ethics Committee leadership announced they opened an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against him, including toward an employee. That investigation will almost certainly be closed in light of Swalwell’s resignation.
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MS NOW spoke with the woman at the center of the allegations, a former Swalwell staff member, who confirmed she made the sexual assault allegations, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN, which cited three other women alleging various types of sexual misconduct by Swalwell.
The main accuser, who has not been publicly identified and worked for Swalwell for nearly two years, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss. She said he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was too intoxicated to consent, the Chronicle reported. The former aide confirmed to MS NOW she made the sexual assault allegations.
In a video address posted to social media on Friday, Swalwell called the allegations “flat false,” adding, “They did not happen. They have never happened.”
On Sunday, Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign following calls to do so by congressional Democratic leaders and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a one-time ally. On Saturday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also announced it’s investigating a sexual assault allegation against Swalwell, which one of his accusers said happened in New York City in April 2024.
Mychael Schnell contributed reporting.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.