California Congressman Eric Swalwell is under intense pressure to drop out of the race for governor following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
The charges are serious, ranging from harassment to rape.
Swalwell, a Democrat and one of the primary candidates to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, has vehemently denied the allegations.
He called them “fake” and politically timed.
In a statement, he said, “This is the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor.”
The first accusation against Swalwell was made Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle. According to a former employee, he had made inappropriate comments, released her for sex and sent sexual text messages shortly after hiring her.
Additionally, she had reported waking up naked in his hotel room with no memory of the night before in September 2019.
Subsequent CNN published allegations by four more women who claim they were victims of similar misconduct while working under his management.
He quickly lost his key allies, including Senator Adam Schiff and Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats.
Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House, demanded a full transparency investigation, not connected to a gubernatorial campaign.
