WATCH: 2028 Dem Hopeful Struggles To Clarify Shut Relationship With Swalwell: ‘How Did You Not Know?’
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) — a longtime friend of disgraced U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) — struggled to answer questions about his knowledge of the allegations against Swalwell and his past.
Swalwell announced Monday that he will be resigning from Congress over multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault levied against him by multiple women. One of the most serious allegations came from a former staffer, who alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions.
One of the alleged encounters took place in a New York City hotel room. That allegation is currently being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
CNN separately reported accusations from three additional women who described sexual advances by Swalwell and said he sent them explicit photos and messages. While Swalwell has owned up to “mistakes” in his past, he has denied the criminal allegations against him.
As investigators continue to probe Swalwell’s conduct, a number of his most significant allies in Washington have also found themselves under the microscope. This includes Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a longtime personal friend of Swalwell’s who joined the bipartisan Future Forum — a group Swalwell founded to engage millennials) — which involved joint travel around the U.S. for events and campaign-style outreach.
This includes a privately funded trip to Qatar that was sponsored by the U.S.-Qatar Business Council, as well as an additional trip to Israel, Germany and the U.K. that focused on economic and security issues. Gallego also chaired Swalwell’s short-lived presidential campaign in 2020.
During an intense press gaggle on Tuesday, Gallego was pressed about his close relationship with Swalwell, his initial defense of him, and his recent reversal.“[Swalwell] called you his best friend. You have never asked him about any of the rumors that had been swirling around democratic politics, of his inappropriate behavior?” one reporter asked.
“I did… look we knew each other differently… my family and his family were as close as it gets our kids were in baseball camp together. We had dinner to get us a family It was entirely different… But when there was rumors going around a couple weeks ago not of the folks and whatever in [San Francisco] Chronicle. I did ask him And he lied to me,” Gallego responded.
🚨Just Now: Arizona Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego has a emotional breakdown about Eric Swalwell during a press conference
He said: “This man led a double life. I was manipulated. I was lied to. And everyone else was too. He lied to the most powerful people in the country.” pic.twitter.com/WCuHvmMYcA
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) April 14, 2026
“How do you Not know About allegations considering You chaired his presidential Campaign Wouldn’t some of this have come up?” another reporter asked. At that point, Gallego repeatedly raised his voice and claimed Swalwell was living a “double life” he never could have known about.
Gallego also acknowledged that he had observed and heard about Swalwell’s “flirty” nature but stressed he had no knowledge of any criminal activity. “We’ve heard that throughout,” the senator recalled in reference to Swalwell’s behavior over the years.
One reporter followed up by asking why acknowledgement of Swalwell’s “flirty” nature was not enough to “not trust him to watch your kids or be close with him?”
“Because, you know, you hear this. And then you’re close to somebody, and you, ya know, you know his wife. You see this, you know his wife, you see this. You see this relationship. You know that just maybe it isn’t true,” Gallego continued. When asked whether that was enough to press Swalwell on the issues, he admitted that he brought it up only after the allegations began to surface.
🚨 OMG. Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego CONFIRMS HE KNEW RUMORS about Eric Swalwell for YEARS, and he froze up!
Look how flustered he’s getting.
“It was flirty…we’ve heard that throughout.”
Q: You heard these rumors for years?
GALLEGO: “Him being flirty.”
Q: That wasn’t issue… https://t.co/J8NobidgZb pic.twitter.com/PNbiJE4BHN
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
When asked whether he plans to release any text messages and other contact between the two as a result of any investigation, Gallego said he would.
To date, Gallego has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has denied prior knowledge of Swalwell’s activities.
RELATED: Swalwell Accuser Goes Public, Details Sick Allegations Against Disgraced Democrat