Eric Swalwell responds to sexual assault allegations in a to-camera video

California Congressman Eric Swalwell tried Friday night to contain the gravest political crisis of his career with a direct-to-camera denial of sexual assault allegations, posting a video statement shortly before 8 p.m. Pacific as new accusations surfaced in a spectacular fall from grace that has roiled California’s governor’s race.

“A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations,” Swalwell said in the video posted to Instagram. “These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have.”

Swalwell called the accusations politically timed, noting that they arrived “on the eve of an election where I have been the front-runner candidate for governor in California."

The statement came after a day of cascading political damage triggered by a San Francisco Chronicle report in which a former Swalwell staffer accused the congressman of sexually assaulting her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent. She said it happened once in 2019 after drinks, when she says she blacked out and awoke naked in his hotel bed, and again in 2024 after a New York charity gala, when she alleges she repeatedly said no.

By Friday evening, the scandal had widened beyond that initial account. CNN reported that additional women had come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct, including allegations that Swalwell sent unsolicited explicit messages and engaged in unwanted sexual behavior, claims he has also denied.

Related: Eric Swalwell’s governor bid is collapsing as top Democrats turn on him

Related: Watch Eric Swalwell mop the floor with Ben Shapiro over Project 2025 & gay sex

“For over 20 years, I have served the public as a city councilman, as a member of Congress, and as a prosecutor who went to court on behalf of victims, particularly on behalf of sexual assault victims," Swalwell said in the video. “That’s who I am and have always been.”

The political fallout has been swift and devastating. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, long one of Swalwell’s most influential patrons, said through spokesperson Ian Krager that the accuser “must be respected and heard” and that accountability is “best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

Rep. Robert Garcia made it clear in his calls for his California colleague to exit, saying Swalwell “must leave the Governor’s race immediately.” Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla have also withdrawn their support, while campaign endorsers and labor allies have begun to peel away.

The rupture has also reached Swalwell’s East Bay base. Mike Kusiak, a Castro Valley Unified School District trustee and longtime Swalwell ally, publicly urged him to “end his campaign and resign from Congress.”

In the video, Swalwell admitted to personal failings. “I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife,” he said. “And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”

Swalwell did not say whether he would remain in the race. He ended by promising another update soon.