Democratic California Congressman Eric Swalwell faces sexual misconduct accusations from three additional women after one of his former staffers came forward on Friday and alleged that she was raped by the lawmaker while she was drunk. After the first accuser went public with her allegations, three more women told CNN that Swalwell made unwanted advances on them or sent them unsolicited sexual messages. Ally Sammarco, a Democratic content creator, told CNN that she received nude messages from Swalwell after they connected over social media. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” Sammarco said. “And he actually responded.” Another woman accused Swalwell of kissing her and touching her leg without her consent while they sat together at a bar. Swalwell, who is leading a crowded Democratic primary for California governor in multiple polls, denied the allegations. “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said. “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.” Earlier on Friday, one of Swalwell’s former staffers accused the Democrat of sexually assaulting her on two separate occasions, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The woman shared medical records with CNN that are reportedly related to her getting tested for an STD and pregnancy after the alleged sexual assault. She also told family members and friends of the alleged assault in 2024 shortly after she says that Swalwell raped her. Swalwell has also denied those allegations, and his attorneys sent his former staffer a cease-and-desist letter. Swalwell’s Democratic allies have expressed shock following the report and pulled their support for his gubernatorial bid following the accusations. “I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations. This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) posted to X on Friday. “I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race,” he added. The California Teachers Association, a powerful union in the Golden State, called on the congressman to end his gubernatorial bid. “The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps,” the union wrote. After the accusations, Swalwell’s odds to become the next California governor tanked to just 15% after hovering around 50%, according to Kalshi prediction markets.

Democrat Eric Swalwell’s political allies have quickly jumped ship from supporting his California gubernatorial campaign after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a former staffer has accused the congressman of sexual assault. Swalwell has denied the allegations and sent the accuser a cease-and-desist. A NOTUS report then surfaced on Friday afternoon that he allegedly made sexual passes on a then-Capitol Hill intern through Snapchat. “I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations. This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) posted to X on Friday. “I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race,” he added. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who originally defended Swalwell against the allegations when it was swirling as a social media rumor, also withdrew his support for the lawmaker. “I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting and I take it seriously,” Gallego wrote. “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,” Gallego continued. “I am withdrawing my endorsement of Congressman Swalwell, effective immediately.” In addition, the California Teachers Association, a powerful union in the Golden State, wants the congressman to exit the gubernatorial race. “The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps,” the union wrote. Another large labor union, SEIU, also rescinded their support, which could have major implications for his future in the race. “SEIU CA has suspended our campaign activities and expenditures following extremely troubling allegations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell. Our leaders will be meeting and will proceed on next steps through the democratic process laid out in our bylaws,” the group posted. Multiple candidates in the race for California governor are calling on him to drop out, including Democrats Matt Mahan and Tony Thurmond. Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, who is running not far behind Swalwell in the top-two June primary, called on him to drop out and leave Congress. “Eric Swalwell should be nowhere near any position of power, much less be the governor of California. He must resign from Congress and drop out of the race immediately,” he posted. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee did not mince words, with spokesman Nick Poche saying that Swalwell has “always has been a disgusting pig who needs to resign from Congress and drop out of the governor’s race in disgrace.” This is not the first scandal that Swalwell has faced in the political arena, including scrutiny over his connections to a Chinese spy named “Fang Fang” and legal concerns about his California residency.

Showing why her own colleagues have long viewed her as the abrasive outlier of the High Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — who said in 2001, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life” —  recently decided that the hallowed traditions of Supreme Court protocol are secondary to her own progressive “lived experience.” Speaking at the University of Kansas, the “Wise Latina” took a verbal sledgehammer to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, violating the unwritten rule that judicial disagreements stay within the mahogany walls of One First Street. Sotomayor’s target was a concurrence Kavanaugh wrote regarding an emergency order on immigration enforcement. While Kavanaugh noted that brief stops for legal residents are typically just that—brief—Sotomayor went for the jugular, and she made it personal. Mocking Kavanaugh’s upbringing, she sneered, “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.” It was a stunningly low blow, even for Sotomayor. By attacking Kavanaugh’s class and background rather than his legal reasoning, she didn’t just breach collegiality; she set it on fire. Supreme Court protocol dictates that justices attack the argument, not the man. But for Sotomayor, identity politics is the only North Star, even if it means suggesting a colleague is too “privileged” to understand the plight of the working man. Of course, this isn’t Sotomayor’s first time playing the role of the “grating” colleague. Her history on the bench is littered with instances where her peers—on both sides of the aisle—have cringed at her antics. Even the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fellow traveler on the Left, was known to trade barbs with Sotomayor in footnotes, frequently questioning her interpretation of the law. In the Schuette case, Sotomayor’s fifty-eight-page dissent was so vitriolic that Chief Justice John Roberts felt compelled to write a separate concurrence just to call her out for making legal disagreements personal. At the time, even The New York Times admitted her voice was grating on her colleagues. Antonin Scalia was even less diplomatic, famously labeling her comparisons of certain modern policies to Jim Crow as “shameful.” The Supreme Court relies on “institutional glue”—the handshake, the shared meals, the omertà of the conference room—to function. Sotomayor, however, seems intent on dissolving that glue. While Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently noted that collegiality is an “act of the will,” Sotomayor appears to have willed herself into a state of permanent grievance. By publicly slamming Kavanaugh’s character, she has signaled that she is no longer interested in being a judge among peers, but rather an activist-in-exile, writing children’s books and airing dirty laundry because she can’t win the legal argument.

A former staffer for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) accused him of sexual assault Friday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Rumors have circulated on social media for days that the congressman, who is running for governor of California, had made staffers sign NDAs and that allegations of misconduct existed. No specific accuser had come forward until now. The Chronicle reported that the staffer was sexually assaulted on two different occasions where she was unable to consent due to intoxication. On Thursday, the staffer was sent a cease-and-desist letter by Swalwell’s attorneys, according to the Chronicle. The report alleges that the incidents happened in September 2019 and again in April 2024, and that the member sent her images of his genitalia. “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” the congressman told the outlet. “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.” On Thursday, Swalwell canceled a town hall, with his campaign saying he was sick. However, the decision to back out of the event garnered sharp criticism, including from Democratic challenger Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he is “hiding from voters and reporters.” The congressman is the leading Democratic candidate in multiple primary polls.

President Donald Trump reiterated his support on Friday afternoon for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in his race to win re-election, as one of Graham’s main primary opponents, Paul Dans, appears to have exited the race. FITSNews wrote on Friday that Dans was dropping out of the race, and Trump appeared to confirm the report. The Daily Wire reached out to the Dans campaign, but did not immediately hear back. “Paul Dans has just dropped out of the South Carolina Senatorial Race against the Great Lindsey Graham,” Trump wrote. “It all started to fall apart for Paul when a very Low IQ individual named Tucker Carlson ENDORSED him — THE KISS OF DEATH! Lindsey has a BIG lead, and is on his way to a spectacular VICTORY because he just, GETS THINGS DONE!” the president added. In another post moments prior, Trump slammed Graham’s other primary opponent, Mark Lynch, in a Truth Social post, as the Republican senator has fended off critics who have said that he has been too hawkish on military action in the Middle East, particularly in Iran. “Senator Lindsey Graham is doing a fantastic job. He is running against a LUNATIC named Mark Lynch, who supports perhaps the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Trump said. “I don’t have to go into great detail, but needless to say, Mark Lynch would be a DISASTER for the Republican Party, and Lindsey Graham just, GETS THE JOB DONE. VOTE FOR LINDSEY ALL THE WAY,” the president added. Lynch has not held back in his criticism of Graham on matters of foreign policy. “Lindsey Graham represents a grave National Security threat to Americans, American soldiers, and to every man, woman, and child in the Middle East — whether Iranian or Israeli,” Lynch posted Friday. “On June 9, we Dump Lindsey!” Trump’s posts backing Graham were not a surprise, given the president and the senator have been close allies for some time. However, the posts underscore how the president is firing back against those who have been critical of Operation Epic Fury in Iran, including with a post made on Thursday saying that a handful of podcasters slamming the war are “Low IQ.” Graham chairs the Senate Budget Committee, which means he will play a critical role in securing congressional funding for the president’s military goals. Last week, the senator praised the Trump administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2027. “President Trump’s budget is truly historic when it comes to defense spending. It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world,” Graham said in a statement. “When it comes to our national security, President Trump and his team are second to none.” The Daily Wire reached out to the Lynch campaign for comment.