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Swalwell’s rivals in California governor’s race call on him to drop out over sexual assault allegation
Democrat Eric Swalwell’s leading rivals in the race to be California’s governor, both Democrats and Republicans, called on him to drop out of the race after a former staffer told the San Francisco Chronicle the congressman had sexually assaulted her.
Steve Hilton, the Republican former Fox News host endorsed by Donald Trump, responded with sarcasm by writing “Totally agree” above a tweet posted by Swalwell in 2019, which read “Support survivors. Believe survivors. We are with you.”
Tom Steyer, a billionaire Democrat, wrote: “I commend the brave former staffer who came forward with her story about Eric Swalwell. Speaking out is never easy, and her account must be taken seriously. At a moment like this, we must make sure that women are heard, and justice is pursued.”
Katie Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman who was the early frontrunner in the governor’s race before video of her losing her temper went viral, suggested in a statement that more than one woman had accused Swalwell of misconduct. “The allegations against Congressman Swalwell are horrifying. I’m thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories. We believe you and we stand with you,” Porter wrote.
Earlier this week, Porter brought up viral rumors of sexual assault against Swalwell spreading online in an interview with CNN, in which she said: “With regard to Congressman Swalwell, I have seen allegations coming from women staffers. They are very, very troubling allegations. It is those women’s stories to tell when they are ready, and I hope that they feel safe and supported if they choose to do so.
“I have seen the allegations,” she added. “I have not spoken to any women who are saying that they’re going to come forward, but again, our focus here ought to be on protecting these victims, if they have been victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, we ought to be making sure they feel safe and comfortable speaking up.”
The chorus of viral allegations ahead of the Chronicle’s report was loud enough that Swalwell was asked about them after a town hall in Sacramento on Tuesday.
“No, no, it’s false,” Swalwell told a local TV reporter who asked him if he had “ever behaved inappropriately with female staffers”.
Republican Riverside county sheriff Chad Bianco wrote: “I’m calling on Eric Swalwell to immediately rescind any NDA he has put anyone under.” Rumors that Swalwell had forced staffers to sign non-disclosure agreements have been circulating online, despite the congressman’s adamant denial.
Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose who is running for governor as a moderate Democrat and a tech industry ally opposed to a billionaires’ tax, responded to the Chronicle report by writing on X: “To the survivor who risked everything to come forward – I believe you. To the Democratic Party – you’d better hold him accountable. If we don’t, we have no credibility asking anyone else to do the same. To @ericswalwell – drop out.”
Even Ian Calderon, a former majority leader of the California state assembly who suspended his own campaign for governor last month and endorsed Swalwell, called on him to drop out of the race and resign from Congress.
“The allegations against Eric Swalwell are deeply disturbing and troubling. My thoughts are with anyone affected, and I unequivocally support all survivors seeking justice and accountability,” Calderon wrote on social media. “Eric Swalwell must immediately suspend his campaign and resign from Congress.”
Key events
CNN reports four women have accused Eric Swalwell of sexual assault or misconduct
CNN has followed the San Francisco Chronicle in reporting that a former staffer has accused congressman Eric Swalwell of sexually assaulting, and adds that three more women also accused the Democrat running to be California’s governor of other kinds of sexual misconduct.
The former staffer told CNN “that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the 2024 incident, which she said happened after she had stopped working in his office. “He didn’t stop.”
The woman told the broadcaster that was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sex with her while she was drunk. “In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact,” CNN reported.
Three other women who spoke with CNN alleged sexual misconduct by the congressman, including unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos from Swalwell.
Swalwell’s campaign chairman resigns and calls on him to drop out of California governor’s race
Congressman Jimmy Gomez, a Los Angeles Democrat who was the chair of Eric Swalwell’s campaign for the governship of California, resigned from that role on Friday and called on Swalwell to drop out.
“Today I learned shocking information about Eric Swalwell containing the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable,” Gomez said in a statement responding to the San Francisco Chronicle report that a former staffer had accused Swalwell of sexual assault.
“My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust. I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately,” Gomez wrote. “The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”
Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democratic former mayor of Los Angeles who has failed to gain traction in the race for the governor’s office, went further in his statement, calling for Swalwell to also resign from Congress.
“Today’s reporting on the horrific allegations that Eric Swalwell abused his position and repeatedly sexually assaulted a staffer is shocking and reprehensible,” Villaraigosa said. “Further, Eric Swalwell’s attempt to silence victims to save his campaign for Governor – a campaign he was unfit to enter given these allegations – is a shameful disgrace to our democracy.”
“Now that victims are finally being heard, it has become abundantly clear that Eric Swalwell must withdraw from the governor’s race and immediately resign from Congress,” the former mayor added. “In California, we believe women and no one is above the law.”
‘I wished him luck’, Trump says of Vance’s efforts to negotiate an end to US-Israel war on Iran
On his way to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran over ending the conflict that started with a joint US-Israel attack six weeks ago, vice-president JD Vance told reporters earlier on Friday that he would be acting on the precise instructions of his boss, Donald Trump.
“We’re going to try to have a positive negotiation. The President gave us some pretty clear guidelines,” Vance said.
Speaking to reporters en route to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Friday for a dinner with Maga Inc, a political action committee established to support him, the president was asked what he told Vance before he left.
“Well, I wished him luck,” Trump replied. “He’s got a big thing, we’ll find out what’s going on.” The president then cast the talks as almost inconsequential, repeating his false claim that the US had already destroyed Iran’s military and could easily open the strait of Hormuz “with or without” Iran’s help.
“I think it’s going to go pretty quickly, and if it doesn’t well be able to finish it off- one way or the other, it’s going well,” Trump insisted, as global oil markets remain in chaos and Israel’s desire to prolong the conflict imperils the fragile ceasefire.
Senator Ruben Gallego apologizes for defending Swalwell and withdraws his endorsment
Ruben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona who had defended Eric Swalwell on social media three days ago, expressed regret for doing so and withdrew his endorsement of the congressman in the race to be California’s governor.
On Tuesday, the same day that Swalwell’s Democratic rival Katie Porter mentioned viral allegations of sexual assault against Swalwell on CNN, Gallego wrote on X: “When you are in first place, is when they target you. Eric is a fighter and he will win the Governors race.”
After the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday that one former staffer had accused Swalwell of sexual assault, Gallego issued a retraction.
“I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting and I take it seriously,” Gallego wrote in a statement. “What is described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed. I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information. I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired. I am withdrawing my endorsement of Congressman Swalwell, effective immediately.”
‘This is the beginning of the end for Eric Swalwell’, gen-Z influencer Cheyenne Hunt says
Cheyenne Hunt, a lawyer, Democratic party activist and political influencer with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, who has used her platform to spread accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell, called the San Francisco Chronicle report on Friday, that a former staffer accused the congressman of sexually assaulting her, “the first of many”.
In a video post captioned: “This is the beginning of the end for Eric Swalwell,” Hunt said: “I am incredibly proud of every single one of these women… who has trusted me with their stories… and started this process of holding this man accountable.”
“The difference between us and Maga,” Hunt added, “is that we hold our own accountable. No more predators in power, from either party – period. It’s time to drop out, Eric Swalwell.”
Swalwell’s rivals in California governor’s race call on him to drop out over sexual assault allegation
Democrat Eric Swalwell’s leading rivals in the race to be California’s governor, both Democrats and Republicans, called on him to drop out of the race after a former staffer told the San Francisco Chronicle the congressman had sexually assaulted her.
Steve Hilton, the Republican former Fox News host endorsed by Donald Trump, responded with sarcasm by writing “Totally agree” above a tweet posted by Swalwell in 2019, which read “Support survivors. Believe survivors. We are with you.”
Tom Steyer, a billionaire Democrat, wrote: “I commend the brave former staffer who came forward with her story about Eric Swalwell. Speaking out is never easy, and her account must be taken seriously. At a moment like this, we must make sure that women are heard, and justice is pursued.”
Katie Porter, a former Democratic congresswoman who was the early frontrunner in the governor’s race before video of her losing her temper went viral, suggested in a statement that more than one woman had accused Swalwell of misconduct. “The allegations against Congressman Swalwell are horrifying. I’m thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories. We believe you and we stand with you,” Porter wrote.
Earlier this week, Porter brought up viral rumors of sexual assault against Swalwell spreading online in an interview with CNN, in which she said: “With regard to Congressman Swalwell, I have seen allegations coming from women staffers. They are very, very troubling allegations. It is those women’s stories to tell when they are ready, and I hope that they feel safe and supported if they choose to do so.
“I have seen the allegations,” she added. “I have not spoken to any women who are saying that they’re going to come forward, but again, our focus here ought to be on protecting these victims, if they have been victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, we ought to be making sure they feel safe and comfortable speaking up.”
The chorus of viral allegations ahead of the Chronicle’s report was loud enough that Swalwell was asked about them after a town hall in Sacramento on Tuesday.
“No, no, it’s false,” Swalwell told a local TV reporter who asked him if he had “ever behaved inappropriately with female staffers”.
Republican Riverside county sheriff Chad Bianco wrote: “I’m calling on Eric Swalwell to immediately rescind any NDA he has put anyone under.” Rumors that Swalwell had forced staffers to sign non-disclosure agreements have been circulating online, despite the congressman’s adamant denial.
Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose who is running for governor as a moderate Democrat and a tech industry ally opposed to a billionaires’ tax, responded to the Chronicle report by writing on X: “To the survivor who risked everything to come forward – I believe you. To the Democratic Party – you’d better hold him accountable. If we don’t, we have no credibility asking anyone else to do the same. To @ericswalwell – drop out.”
Even Ian Calderon, a former majority leader of the California state assembly who suspended his own campaign for governor last month and endorsed Swalwell, called on him to drop out of the race and resign from Congress.
“The allegations against Eric Swalwell are deeply disturbing and troubling. My thoughts are with anyone affected, and I unequivocally support all survivors seeking justice and accountability,” Calderon wrote on social media. “Eric Swalwell must immediately suspend his campaign and resign from Congress.”
Eric Swalwell accused of sexual assault by former staffer – report
Democrat Eric Swalwell’s campaign to succeed Gavin Newsom as California’s governor was cast in doubt on Friday when he was accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked for the congressman for nearly two years and described the abuse to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Just before the accusation was made public, multiple staffers resigned from Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign, Politico reports.
According to the Chronicle, the woman said she had sexual encounters with Swalwell while he was her boss “and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent”.
Swalwell denied the woman’s accusations in a statement provided to the Chronicle on Friday:
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
Comer says he already planned to ask survivors of Epstein’s abuse to testify to Congress before Melania Trump’s intervention
James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee, told Fox News on Friday he had already been planning to invite survivors of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender who socialized with Donald Trump for nearly two decades, to testify to Congress before Melania Trump endorsed the idea in a surprise statement on Thursday.
“I’ve always planned on having hearings with the victims,” Comer said in an interview on Friday. “My attorneys on the oversight committee have been communicating on a constant basis for months with the attorneys representing Epstein victims.”
“There are some victims who are willing to come in. Most victims aren’t, and I completely understand that,” the Kentucky congressman added. “But we have always planned on having a hearing with Epstein victims once the depositions have been completed. So we have still got some more high-profile men that are coming in. Then, I agree with the first lady: we will have hearings.”
In a separate interview with the rightwing network Newsmax, Comer rejected calls from Democrats to compel the first lady to testify to the committee about Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, both of whom she was photographed socializing during the time the two were charged with abusing minors.
As our colleague Anna Betts reports, More than a dozen Epstein survivors accused the first lady of “shifting the burden” on to them, and away from her husband’s justice department, by calling on Congress to hold public hearings.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,” said a group of 13 people and the brother and sister of the late Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the most vocal Epstein accusers, in a statement. “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility not justice.”
Here’s a recap of the day so far
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More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have accused Melania Trump of “shifting the burden” on to them after she called on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse. Their response came after the first lady delivered a surprise statement in which she denied that she ever had a relationship with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
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US inflation surged in March, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) report released on Friday. Overall prices are now up by 3.3% compared to a year ago, and up by 0.9% since February 2026. Democrats blasted the Trump administration in response to today’s data. “Today’s data shows that Trump’s war with Iran has driven up costs and delivered the worst inflation reading in nearly two years,” said Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member on the Senate banking committee.
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Donald Trump has said that the Iranians “have no cards” and the only reason they are alive “is to negotiate”. It follows Trump giving an interview to the New York Post, in which he said the US is loading its warships with the “best weapons” in case talks with Tehran – set to begin in Islamabad tomorrow – fail.
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The Trump administration on Friday released new renderings of the triumphal arch the president wants to install in Memorial Circle at the foot of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The mock-up was submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), who are next due to meet on 16 April to consider the proposal. Trump dismissed all fired all six commissioners last year and replaced them with loyalists. The panel is also one of two bodies responsible for signing off on his proposed White House ballroom, a project a federal judge blocked last month.
Lucy Campbell
The White House considered but decided against a national televised address by Donald Trump on Tuesday to announce the ceasefire deal with Iran, with some aides and advisers privately voicing concern about potentially overselling the still-nascent agreement, three US officials have told Reuters.
Reuters’ sources said Trump was talked out of making the speech. But the White House denied the discussions rose to Trump’s level. It said in a statement:
This is fake news. This was never even discussed with the president.
As you will remember, Trump ended up announcing the ceasefire in a social media post just hours before his Tuesday 8pm ET deadline, after which he had threatened to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilisation”.
One of the sources told Reuters that Trump had been “adamant” about delivering the address. The officials said it had been under consideration, but the White House did not move forward with it because details of the ceasefire were still shaky.
Trump’s senior advisers were working through what was in the deal and did not think they had enough clarity for the US president to address the nation, the sources said.
In response to the latest renderings, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, in a statement to the Guardian, that the administration believes the arch will be “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington DC, but throughout the world”.
He added that the positioning of the arch, near Arlington National Cemetary will serve as “a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today”.
A White House official also told the Guardian that the estimated cost of the triumphal arch is “still being calculated” and will be shared in the near future. The White House anticipates “some combination of public and private funds” to be used to pay for the project, according to the official.
Trump administration releases latest mock up of so-called Arc de Trump
The Trump administration on Friday released new renderings of the triumphal arch the president wants to install in Memorial Circle at the foot of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
As part of Donald Trump’s legacy-building quest during his second term in office, the so-called “Arc de Trump” would stand 250ft tall, feature a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, and include a viewing deck. The phrase “One Nation Under God” would stretch across the top od the structure, according to the latest plans from Harrison Design.
The mock-up was submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), who are next due to meet on 16 April to consider the proposal.
Trump dismissed all fired all six commissioners last year and replaced them with loyalists. The panel is one of two bodies responsible for signing off on his proposed White House ballroom. Although the CFA approved that project in February, a federal judge halted construction weeks later. The president had already demolished the historic East Wing to make room for it.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which is chaired by one of Trump’s former lawyers, also greenlit the building project days later, but the status of the work remains in limbo following the district court ruling.
Maya Yang
Kamala Harris said she is “thinking about” running in the 2028 presidential election.
“I might, I might. I’m thinking about it,” the former vice-president and 2024 candidate told the crowd at a gathering of the National Action Network (NAN), a civil rights organization founded by Al Sharpton, on Friday in New York City.
Expanding on her response to Sharpton’s question about a potential presidential bid, she added: “I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States … I know what the job is and I know what it requires.
“I’ve been traveling the country the last year, spending a lot of time in the south and many other places, and the one thing I’m really clear about is … the status quo is not working and hasn’t been working for a lot of people for a long time,” she said.
Speaking about the presidency, Harris added: “It’s got to be about the American people and that’s how I think of it. I am thinking about it in the context of … who and where and how can the best job be done for the American people. I’ll keep you posted.”
Harris, who lost to Donald Trump, also criticized the president and the increasing erosion of the US’s global alliances, saying he was the “first president of the United States since world war two who does not believe in the alliances that we have with friendly nations … and the importance that that relationship bears on our standing around the world”.
Melania Trump’s surprise appearance at the White House on Thursday – to announce that she ‘never had a relationship’ with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell – put Epstein back on the political agenda when focus had been firmly on the US and Israel’s war in Iran.
The intervention came at a difficult time for her husband, Donald Trump, as the fragile ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran seemed to be at risk of falling apart, and as US lawmakers are raising the alarm over the president’s mental stability.
In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian US editor, Betsy Reed, Trump’s rhetoric in the Iran war, and whether there is anything to be hopeful about in US politics.
Trump says Iranians only alive ‘to negotiate’ and US is ‘loading up the ships’ in event of no deal
Donald Trump has said that the Iranians “have no cards” and the only reason they are alive “is to negotiate”.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said:
The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!
It follows Trump giving an interview to the New York Post, in which he said the US is loading its warships with the “best weapons” in case talks with Tehran – set to begin in Islamabad tomorrow – fail.
“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours,” he said. “We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we use to do a complete decimation.
“And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them and we will be using them very effectively.”
CNN is reporting that ambassadors from Israel, Lebanon and the United States will hold a first round of preparatory talks in Washington today to set the table for future negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, citing an Israeli official and sources familiar with the talks.
Per CNN’s report, this first round of discussions will be aimed at reaching an agreement on the conditions and agenda for direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, which Israel has said would be aimed at disarming Hezbollah and establishing “peaceful relations” between the two countries.
Lebanon is demanding that Israel agrees to a ceasefire before negotiations can begin, as Tel Aviv continues its ferocious bombardment on the country.
The talks will be held with Michel Issa, the US ambassador to Lebanon; Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US; and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, according to CNN’s sources.
Khanna calls on Melania Trump to testify before Congress: ‘She has relevant information’
Melania Trump’s televised statement on Thursday, in which she said that she “never had a relationship” with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, prompted a sharp response from one of the Democratic lawmakers behind the legislation requiring the justice department to release Epstein‑related files.
Ro Khanna said the first lady should now testify before Congress. “She has relevant information. If she didn’t have relevant information, how could she say that Epstein was not acting alone?” the congressman told MS NOW.
“We need to ask her who were the other men that she believes may have been involved in raping or abusing these young girls,” the California Democrat said. “What did she know?”
Tom Ambrose
Pope Leo has issued a thinly veiled criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran, saying “military action will not create space for freedom”.
Writing on X, he also said that God “does not bless any conflict”.
He said:
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.
Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.
Democrats blast Trump and war on Iran for latest inflation surge
Democrats have blasted the Trump administration following the latest inflation report, which shows a 3.3% surge in consumer prices since March 2025.
“Today’s data shows that Trump’s war with Iran has driven up costs and delivered the worst inflation reading in nearly two years,” said Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member on the Senate banking committee. “Trump’s chaotic tariffs were already squeezing American families, and now he’s sent energy prices skyrocketing, with gas prices above $4 a gallon and the cost of food still too high. Every family struggling to fill their gas tank or buy groceries knows exactly who is responsible.”
Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, said that the March consumer price index (CPI) was “another reason we must end this war now”.
“Americans are paying the price for Trump’s idiocy every day,” he said in a statement on social media.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary under Joe Biden said that the Trump administration is “actively making energy prices higher with a war that nobody wanted, nobody asked for”.
“That, of course, is the direct reason why inflation is higher now than it was before,” said Buttigieg, who is widely considered a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
