President Trump made his first remarks on the sexual assault allegations against former Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell. Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his California gubernatorial campaign amid sexual assault and harassment allegations by five different women. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump told the Daily Mail. “He’s a sleazebag. Always has been. He’s a long timer, and he’s a bad guy. I don’t know anything about the charges, but he’s a bad guy,” he continued. Trump breaks silence on shocking rape allegations against 'sleazebag' Eric Swalwell to the Daily Mail https://t.co/aOxylugfRy — Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) April 16, 2026 Daily Mail shared further: Swalwell has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics in Congress, accusing the President of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election. He also served as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second trial in 2021. ‘He’s always been a bad guy, he’s a corrupt politician, and everyone knows it, so it’s happening to him, and we’ll see what happens. Right? Let him go defend himself,’ Trump added. Two criminal investigations into the assault claims against Swalwell have been started by both the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the rape and sexual assault allegations. While rejecting the claims, the former lawmaker acknowledged making ‘mistakes in judgment’ and apologized to his wife, Brittany Watts. The Justice Department also launched a probe against Swalwell. Eric Swalwell Faces Justice Department Probe Lonna Drewes, one of the alleged victims, accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her in a hotel room in 2018. Alleged Victim Of Eric Swalwell Accuses Him Of Drugging, R*ping Her More from the New York Post: Lonna Drewes, 50, said she thought she was friends with the lawmaker but claimed he spiked her drink before choking and sexually assaulting her in West Hollywood. The model sobbed as she claimed Swalwell was masquerading as helping her fashion software company take off, but said he ended up destroying her life and left her “crying all the time.” The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has opened an investigation into Drewes’ claim, after she handed over what she said are damning texts, photographs and journal entries accusing Swalwell of rape. Last week, four women leveled heinous claims against Swalwell, which has set fire to his political career. He’s since pulled out of the California governor’s race and resigned from Congress. A second criminal probe was opened by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into claims of sexual assault by a former staffer.

Pentagon officials have approached automakers and other manufacturers to help increase weapons production, a practice similar to that during World War II, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the outlet, top defense officials spoke with executives at Ford Motor and General Motors about producing weapons and other military supplies. Exclusive: The Pentagon has approached automakers and other American manufacturers about playing a larger role in weapons production https://t.co/FoyyuTUtAa — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 15, 2026 More from The Wall Street Journal: The Pentagon is interested in enlisting the companies to use their personnel and factory capacity to increase production of munitions and other equipment as the wars in Ukraine and Iran deplete stocks. The talks were preliminary and wide-ranging, the people said. Defense officials said American manufacturers might be needed to backstop traditional defense companies and asked whether the companies could rapidly shift to defense work. GE Aerospace and the vehicle and machinery maker Oshkosh were among the companies involved in the talks with defense officials. “The Department of War is committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage,” a Pentagon official told FOX Business. “The Department is aggressively pursuing and integrating the best of American innovation, wherever it resides, to deliver production at scale and drive resiliency across supply chains,” the official added. Trump administration taps automakers to boost weapons production in WWII-style push https://t.co/oBptSo3bXW — FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) April 16, 2026 FOX Business shared further: Defense officials said accelerating weapons production is being treated as a matter of national security, according to the report. Officials also asked companies to identify barriers to taking on additional defense work, including contracting requirements and challenges with the bidding process. The Pentagon’s recent budget request of $1.5 trillion includes funding for munitions and drone manufacturing. In a statement provided to FOX Business, Oshkosh said it “brings the full strength of a global enterprise, combining scale, financial stability, and advanced, flexible manufacturing, to efficiently ramp production while delivering consistent quality and reliability for both commercial and military customers.” “We are committed to regularly evaluating how our available capacity can meet the Department of War’s evolving needs, and we are proud to support national defense and the service members who rely on our capabilities and technologies,” a spokesperson said.

President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former Coast Guard officer who served as deputy surgeon general in his first administration, to serve as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “I am pleased to announce the new leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is my Honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr. Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC. Erica graduated from Brown University for College and Medical School, and served a distinguished career as a Doctor of Medicine in the United States Military, the Greatest and Most Powerful Force in the World, and then served as my Deputy Surgeon General during my First Term. She is a STAR!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Slovenski as the CDC Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, as the CDC Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, as Senior Counselor for Public Health to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,” Trump continued. “These Highly Respected Doctors of Medicine have the knowledge, experience, and TOP degrees to restore the GOLD STANDARD OF SCIENCE at the CDC, which was an absolute disaster focused on ‘mandates’ under Sleepy Joe. Together, they will do a TREMENDOUS job leading the CDC as we continue to MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AND GREAT AGAIN!” he added. Full post below: NPR has more: The CDC director role nominee requires Senate approval. The CDC is currently led by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya in an acting capacity; he is also director of the National Institutes of Health. He took over as CDC lead in February, and is expected to continue in the role during the Senate confirmation process, which could take several months. Schwartz, if confirmed, would work under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who oversees the CDC. Schwartz is a retired Rear Admiral and a board-certified preventive medicine physician. She previously served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard, and as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration. She has a medical degree from Brown University, a law degree from the University of Maryland, and a master’s in public health degree from the Uniformed Services University, or USU. “Rear Admiral Schwartz is really an outstanding person in all regards. Her academic training and intellect is second to none,” says Admiral Brett Giroir who, as assistant health secretary in the first Trump administration, served as Schwartz’s supervisor and worked closely with her on the national COVID testing strategy. “She’s a person of the highest integrity and commitment to service to this country.” JUST IN: President Trump has named Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, as the new director of the CDC. https://t.co/t1lzJOf8MX — ABC News (@ABC) April 16, 2026 “Thank you, President Trump, for nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as CDC Director. I congratulate Dr. Schwartz and the new CDC leadership team. I look forward to working together to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity at the @CDCgov so we can return it to its core mission and Make America Healthy Again,” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. Thank you, President Trump, for nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as CDC Director. I congratulate Dr. Schwartz and the new CDC leadership team. I look forward to working together to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity at the @CDCgov so we can return it to… https://t.co/xTN1mUhVOT — Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 16, 2026 CNN noted: Schwartz certainly has a background in the CDC’s areas of expertise. During her time with the Coast Guard, she led disease surveillance and vaccination programs and wrote Coast Guard policy on pandemic influenza and other viral disease outbreaks. She also played a role in the government’s response to natural disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes. Still, Schwartz will probably face skepticism from some senators over whether she’s willing to break with Kennedy on controversial issues such as vaccine policy. The White House was under a deadline to nominate a permanent director of the CDC after Kennedy abruptly fired the last Senate-confirmed director, Monarez, in August. The federal Vacancies Act says a Senate-confirmed position can be open for only 210 days, and past that deadline, the agency cannot have an acting director. That 210-day mark fell in late March. Currently, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is serving a dual role as director of the National Institutes of Health and as head of the CDC, after serving as its acting director.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell over the multiple sexual assault allegations made against him. The former Democratic congressman has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by five different women. Lonna Drewes, one of the alleged victims, accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her in a hotel room in 2018. Alleged Victim Of Eric Swalwell Accuses Him Of Drugging, R*ping Her Fox News explained further: He has denied all the allegations, but has admitted to making mistakes. Following the allegations, Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor and resigned from his position in Congress. "I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past," Swalwell said in a statement announcing his resignation. "I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make." "I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong," he continued. "But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress." While Swalwell was originally silent as the allegations began, his office broke its silence earlier this week speaking to the New York Post. Watch below: BREAKING: The DOJ has launched a FEDERAL INVESTIGATION into Eric Swalwell for sexuaI assauIt, per Fox The investigation reportedly involves WHO knew WHAT and WHEN they knew it, as many Democrats were aware of Swalwell's misdeeds but covered it up Not looking good for Fartswell pic.twitter.com/02vrmsicTN — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 16, 2026 More from The National News Desk: On Tuesday, Former U.S. Attorney John Fishwick told The National News Desk he expected law enforcement and potentially the Department of Justice to investigate. “I think definitely in the case of Eric Swalwell, I think likely DOJ will investigate him over these latest allegations,” Fishwick said, adding that the Justice Department could view the claims as involving “crossing state lines using positions of power.” He said, “I would imagine the DOJ will be looking at this very soon and will open up investigations against Eric Swalwell.”

Gavin Newsom is not having a good week. His party’s frontrunner for the California governorship just imploded in a sexual assault scandal. The race is now a dumpster fire. And the man who is supposed to hand over the keys to his own kingdom is reportedly freaking out behind the scenes. He has good reason to panic. According to a fresh report, Newsom does not like a single Democrat left in the field to replace him — and the specific reasons he is giving people privately just leaked. Here’s what is happening: IN FOCUS: Democrats governed California into the ground. Now they can’t field a candidate.https://t.co/CDpIYCArEn— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 16, 2026 That is the Washington Examiner putting it bluntly. Democrats had the biggest state in the country, a lock on every lever of power, and a multi-million-dollar political machine. And they cannot find one person their own governor can stand behind. The trigger for all of this was Eric Swalwell. Swalwell was the Democrat frontrunner in the California governor’s race until multiple women came forward over the weekend with sexual misconduct and assault allegations. He denied everything, but he was gone in days — suspended his campaign, resigned from Congress, and walked off into the sunset. Now Newsom is stuck holding the bag. CNN reported on the mess Newsom is currently staring down: The scrambled race for California governor left in the wake of Eric Swalwell’s sexual misconduct allegations isn’t officially Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mess. But it’s one that many top Democrats want him to consider trying to clean up. Since CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle broke their stories about Swalwell on Friday night, Newsom has been in a marathon of calls and meetings about the governor’s race. Four people familiar with Newsom’s thinking tell CNN he’s still trying to make sense of where the race actually stands now, eager for new polling data and trying to sort out whether the Swalwell collapse intensifies the chances of California Democrats’ red-alert scenario: Two Republicans advancing in the nonpartisan June 2 primary and locking Democrats out of the governorship entirely. Read that last part twice. The Democrats in California — in California — are genuinely worried that two Republicans could advance out of the primary and lock Democrats out of the governor’s mansion entirely. That should not be possible in a state they have run into the ground for twenty years. Except here we are. And then came the leak that is making Newsom look even worse. California political analyst Rob Pyers published Newsom’s reported private opinions on every remaining Democrat in the field — and it is absolutely savage: Gavin Newsom’s thoughts on the current field of Dem candidates for governor:Steyer: incoherent, mismanagement worriesPorter: would trigger capital flightMahan: not a fan of his frequent criticismVillaraigosa: still sore over 2018 raceBecerra: unsatisfactory job as AG https://t.co/5bD5O3ykVq pic.twitter.com/5vLGFm5TiV— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 15, 2026 Let’s recap. According to the reporting Newsom thinks: Tom Steyer is incoherent. Katie Porter will drive business out of California. Matt Mahan cannot stop criticizing him. Antonio Villaraigosa is still bitter from their 2018 race. And Xavier Becerra did an unsatisfactory job as attorney general. That is the entire Democrat bench. The sitting Democrat governor of California has something negative to say about every single one of them — and it is now in the press. You cannot buy this kind of chaos. And it gets worse. CNN also reported on how badly Newsom’s first-choice plan fell apart before Swalwell even dropped out: Newsom worries that Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor, would be too all over the place on positions and management to effectively run the state. He worries that Katie Porter, the former congresswoman, would drive business out. He has had a contentious personal relationship with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. He ran against former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa eight years ago, and the strain between them is still there. He has reservations about how former Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra handled that job. Translation: Gavin Newsom does not want any of these people running the state he is about to leave. And Republicans are smelling blood in the water. The Blaze put out this little reminder about what Republican voters just saw happen in the first poll after Swalwell stumbled out: Republicans shine in first poll since Eric Swalwell stumbled out of California governor’s race https://t.co/mXxv8WMZU9 pic.twitter.com/UeHVUMrbHh— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 16, 2026 Republicans in California are polling better than anyone thought possible a month ago. Democrats are fighting each other. And the most powerful Democrat in the state hates his own options. If the GOP can find one unified candidate and capitalize on this, we could be watching the beginning of something nobody in Sacramento thought was possible — a Republican governor of California. In 2026. Newsom is panicking for a reason.