WASHINGTON — Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) summoned reporters to his office on Tuesday to disavow his friendship with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) in an unusual, emotional and direct press conference.
Facing multiple accusations of sexual assault, Swalwell abandoned his campaign for governor of California over the weekend and announced he would resign from the House of Representatives on Monday. Swalwell and Gallego, both elected to Congress in 2014, were close friends and Gallego served as the chair of Swalwell’s brief campaign for president in 2019.
Speaking in clipped sentences and at one moment choking up, Gallego said he knew nothing of Swalwell’s alleged behavior.
“Eric Swalwell lied to all of us. He lied to the most powerful people in this country, and they trusted him,” Gallego said, referring to Swalwell’s positions on powerful House committees and as a manager of one of the impeachment cases against President Donald Trump. “They trusted him with the most sensitive spots in our government.”
“That clouded my judgment, my friendship with him, our family’s friendship together with him clouded my judgment, and I was wrong. I deeply, deeply regret that,” Gallego said.
