Swalwell Allegations Were Covered Up ‘For Months,’ Leading Candidate Says

Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host who is leading the race for California governor as a Republican, indicated that his campaign heard about the allegations against Eric Swalwell months ago, but they were ultimately covered up by the Democratic Party “machine.”

“So, we had heard all of this months ago, you know, from various, you know, sources, whether that’s reporters and people connected to the Democratic machine in California,” Hilton said in a recent interview with Breitbart News.

He added that the information was known “on Capitol Hill and in Sacramento” throughout Swalwell’s time in the gubernatorial race. Hilton noted that Democrat leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as major labor groups such as teacher unions and the SEIU, had provided endorsements and financial backing to Swalwell despite the circulating reports.

Hilton further suggested that the party’s later expressions of condemnation reflected a shift once the allegations gained public traction.

Hilton’s comments came after Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor and resigned from the House just days later.

The allegations against Swalwell involve claims from at least four women. One former staffer reported that Swalwell sexually assaulted her in a New York hotel room in 2024 after an event, stating she had been too intoxicated to consent and that he ignored her refusals.

Another woman, Lonna Drewes, alleged in a public news conference that Swalwell raped her in 2018 at a hotel in the Los Angeles area, claiming he drugged her. Additional accusations include sending unsolicited sexual images and engaging in inappropriate messages or behavior with women.

Swalwell has denied the assault claims, though he has owned up to some past “mistakes in judgment” while rejecting the more serious accusations as false. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has opened a criminal probe into the allegations and has urged any potential victims to come forward.

The House Ethics Committee also opened an investigation into the misconduct claims, including allegations involving a subordinate.

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