Rep. Eric Swalwell said Monday that he will resign from Congress, capping a three-day political collapse that began with sexual misconduct allegations from four women, triggered a Manhattan criminal inquiry, and ended with a House ethics investigation and bipartisan calls for his removal.
In a public statement, the California Democrat said he would fight what he called a “serious false allegation,” while also admitting to “mistakes in judgment” and saying his constituents should not be left with a distracted representative.
The resignation marks a sharp reversal from the weekend, when Swalwell suspended his California governor campaign but insisted he would stay in Congress and contest the claims. The most serious allegation came from a former staffer who told CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle that Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice, including in 2024 at a New York hotel when she said she was too intoxicated to consent.
Reuters reported Saturday that the Manhattan district attorney’s office had opened an investigation and asked anyone with information to contact its special victims division. Swalwell has denied the accusations as “absolutely false.”
Pressure inside the House intensified within hours. The Ethics Committee said Monday it had opened an investigation into whether Swalwell violated the Code of Official Conduct or other rules, including through alleged sexual misconduct toward an employee under his supervision.
The committee stressed that opening a probe does not itself establish a violation, yet the move gave lawmakers in both parties a formal basis to demand action. Reuters and AP reported that Democrats who had once backed Swalwell, including Adam Schiff, moved publicly against him, while Republicans prepared expulsion efforts.
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The fallout extends past one House seat. Swalwell’s exit slightly widens the Republican margin in a narrowly divided chamber, and it adds fuel to a wider fight over how Congress handles misconduct cases before criminal or ethics proceedings are complete. AP noted that the future of the ethics probe is now uncertain because such inquiries often end once a member resigns. The episode also blows open California’s governor’s race, where Swalwell had been viewed as a serious contender before allies, staffers and endorsers began peeling away.
