Sex assault claims against California governor hopeful Eric Swalwell under investigation

The Manhattan ⁠district attorney’s office confirmed ⁠on Saturday that it ⁠is investigating sexual assault allegations against US congressman Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and a leading candidate for governor of the state.The San Francisco Chronicle on Friday reported ‌that a woman who previously worked in Swalwell’s district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters, one while she was employed by him in 2019 and another in 2024 after she had left his staff.She told CNN that he raped ⁠her during the 2024 encounter in a New York hotel. Swalwell has ‌denied the accusations as “absolutely false” and vowed to fight them, but several leading Democrats have urged him to ‌end his bid for governor.The woman, whom the Chronicle ⁠and CNN ⁠did not name, was quoted as saying she had been too intoxicated on both ‌occasions to consent, according to the report.CNN also reported that three other women accused Swalwell ‌of sexual misconduct.California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell speaks to voters at a town hall in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday. Photo: TNSThe ‌Manhattan district attorney’s office urged anyone with knowledge of the ‌allegations to contact its special victims division.