Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Representative Eric Swalwell and searched his home in Washington as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. The devices were taken at the San Francisco airport on Saturday, and a search warrant was executed at his home the following day, according to an anonymous source familiar with the investigation. Swalwell has denied the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman twice while she was employed by him. Reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN indicated that three other women have made various allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell, including sending unsolicited explicit messages.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office confirmed in April that it was investigating Swalwell after a former staffer alleged that he raped her at a hotel in New York City in 2024. The office encouraged survivors and anyone with knowledge of the allegations to contact their Special Victims Division.
A lawyer representing Lonna Drewes, a woman who alleged she was raped by Swalwell in 2018, stated that Swalwell's team is cooperating with law enforcement agencies. Drewes spoke publicly about the assault shortly after Swalwell withdrew from the gubernatorial race, claiming it occurred at a hotel in Southern California, which Swalwell denied.
Swalwell, who was elected in 2012, represented a district east of San Francisco and previously ran for president in 2019. He was a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump and served on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees. In 2023, he was removed from the Intelligence Committee due to his past contact with a suspected Chinese spy, Christine Fang. Swalwell was not accused of wrongdoing in that matter, and a House Ethics Committee investigation concluded without any action.