Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) suspended his campaign for California governor on Sunday, April 12, as the Department of Homeland Security confirmed an active federal investigation into the congressman and more than fifty of his former staffers publicly called for his resignation from Congress.
Swalwell announced the suspension in a statement in which he apologized for what he described as "past judgment" while denying the underlying allegations. He did not specify which allegations he was addressing.
The decision ended a campaign that had been under mounting pressure for several days following the emergence of sexual assault allegations against the congressman. Swalwell had not been charged with any crime as of Sunday evening.
THE DHS INVESTIGATION
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it has opened a formal investigation into Swalwell related to claims that he employed a Brazilian national in the United States without legal authorization. The investigation examines whether Swalwell kept the individual in the country illegally while she worked in his household as a nanny.
DHS confirmed the probe's existence in reporting published by multiple outlets over the course of the weekend. The investigation's scope and timeline were not fully disclosed.
The nanny allegation surfaced alongside the sexual assault claims and added a second track of federal scrutiny to Swalwell's situation. An immigration violation involving household staff would constitute a separate legal exposure from the sexual misconduct allegations and would fall under DHS rather than the Justice Department.
Swalwell had not publicly responded to the specific DHS investigation as of Sunday night.
FORMER STAFFERS AND POLITICAL FALLOUT
More than fifty former Swalwell staffers signed on to a public statement calling for his resignation from Congress. According to published reports, the signatories include former aides who worked directly for the congressman across multiple offices and campaign operations.
The volume of former staff willing to go on record represented an unusual escalation in the political fallout. Senior congressional staff rarely attach their names to resignation demands against a current member.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), a progressive House Democrat and an ally of Swalwell on policy, stated she backs expulsion proceedings for both Swalwell and another member facing misconduct allegations. Jayapal's position put the left flank of the House Democratic caucus on record in favor of removing Swalwell from Congress — not merely asking him to step down from his gubernatorial race.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said in a public statement that Swalwell should drop his governor bid if the allegations against him prove true.
DONOR FALLOUT
A separate report published this weekend indicated that a prominent billionaire donor removed Swalwell from his property and is seeking to reclaim approximately one million dollars in political contributions in the wake of the allegations.
The same report noted that Swalwell recorded a statement denying the sexual assault claims at the mansion of a donor whose own fiancée has been identified in media accounts as connected to a "honeytrapping" operation. Swalwell's team did not publicly address the circumstances of that recording location.
BACKGROUND
Swalwell, who has represented California's 14th Congressional District since 2013, had positioned his gubernatorial campaign as a progressive challenge in the Democratic primary. He had previously run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, ending that campaign early.
He had been a prominent member of the House Intelligence Committee until Republicans voted to remove him from the panel following earlier revelations about his contact with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing in that matter.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The DHS investigation remains active. Whether Swalwell faces expulsion proceedings in the House will depend on whether Democratic leadership moves forward with what Jayapal and others have called for publicly.
A resignation from Congress — separate from the gubernatorial suspension — has not been announced as of publication. The sexual assault allegations remain under scrutiny.
No criminal charges have been filed.
