Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced he will resign from Congress as he faces growing pressure over sexual misconduct allegations and ongoing investigations.
In a statement, Swalwell said he is stepping down to take responsibility for past mistakes, while continuing to fight what he called false accusations. He apologized to his family, staff, and constituents, and said staying in office would distract from his work.
He also pointed to efforts to remove him from Congress, saying he believes those moves are unfair without due process, but decided to resign anyway.
BREAKING: Rep. Eric Swalwell announces he will resign from Congress. pic.twitter.com/ii7PlRSHHM
— Resist Wire (@ResistWire) April 13, 2026
The resignation comes after multiple allegations surfaced in recent days. A former aide accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her on two occasions. Soon after, three other women came forward with separate claims of sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied all of the allegations.
The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into the claims. At the same time, reports say the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is also looking into at least one of the allegations, since it is said to have happened in New York.
The situation quickly affected Swalwell’s political future. He had been running for governor of California and was seen as a strong candidate, but support began to fall apart after the allegations became public. Several Democrats pulled their backing, and Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign.
In a post at the time, he said he would continue to fight the accusations personally but admitted the issue had become a distraction to his campaign.
Back in Congress, pressure also grew for him to be removed. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) pushed for a vote to expel him, and some lawmakers from both parties showed support for that idea. While leaders had not taken formal action, the push added to the pressure on Swalwell.
In his resignation statement, Swalwell said he is aware of those efforts and warned against removing members of Congress too quickly, but said he ultimately chose to step aside.
Even though the Ethics Committee investigation could have taken months, the fast-moving developments led to a quicker outcome.
Swalwell said he will continue to fight the allegations as a private citizen.
