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Swalwell scandal could trigger series of House expulsion votes

2026-04-13T17:52:59.682Z / CNN Politics

Swalwell scandal could trigger series of House expulsion votes

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:52 PM EDT, Mon April 13, 2026

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Swalwell scandal could trigger series of House expulsion votes

Inside Politics

California Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing bipartisan calls to resign or be expelled from the House after four women accused him of sexual misconduct, including one ex-staffer who says he raped her. Swalwell denies the accusations. If the House moves forward with an expulsion vote, three other House members facing allegations of misconduct or corruption could be expelled along with him.

Trump administration agrees to keep Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument

2026-04-13T18:07:37.671Z / CNN

By Gloria Pazmino

1 hr 57 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 13, 2026, 2:07 PM ET

A person secures the flags during a ceremony where New York City officials re-raised the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, on February 12, 2026, after its removal by the National Park Service.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images/File

The Trump administration agreed in a court settlement on Monday to keep the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument.

The administration removed the rainbow LGBTQ flag from the monument in New York City in February due to a government directive that determined what kinds of flags can be flown at national park sites.

The move drew intense backlash from the LGBTQ community and local officials in New York who viewed it as an attack on LGBTQ history.

The Stonewall Inn, an iconic bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, is considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the US. It was the site of a 1969 police raid that sparked protests as the bar’s patrons fought back. The riots led to the first gay Pride march in 1970.

Documents filed in federal district court in Manhattan on Monday show that the Trump administration agreed to a voluntary dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a group of nonprofits, which alleged that the Trump administration’s order violated federal law.

The settlement represents a loss for the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back diversity initiatives and change what is displayed at national parks across the country.

As part of the agreement, the federal government is set to return the flag to the monument’s official flagpole within the next seven days. The site will also fly the American flag and the flag for the National Park Service.

The flag was removed due to Department of the Interior guidance from January that sought to restrict what kind of flags can be flown at national park sites.

According to that National Park Service memorandum, the agency prohibits “non-agency flags and pennants” that are not the US flag or the Interior Department flag. There are exceptions for historical flags, military flags or flags of federally recognized tribal nations within the parks.

Days after the flag’s removal, hundreds of people held a protest outside the monument and local officials raised the Pride flag again, albeit in an unofficial capacity.

“The sudden, arbitrary, and capricious removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument was yet another act by this administration to erase the LGBTQ+ community,” Karen Loewy, co-counsel for plaintiffs and senior counsel at Lambda Legal, said in a statement about the lawsuit settlement.

“Today, the government has pledged to restore this important symbol back to where it belongs.”

CNN has reached out to the National Park Service for comment.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.

FBI raids home of suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s house

April 13, 2026 / 1:09 PM EDT / CBS News

By Nicole Sganga

Nicole Sganga Homeland Security and Justice Correspondent

Nicole Sganga is CBS News’ homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms.

Read Full Bio

Nicole Sganga

The FBI raided the Texas home of a 20-year-old suspect accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at CEO Sam Altman’s house in San Francisco, two U.S. officials confirmed.

The Department of Justice is expected to file federal charges Monday, including attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm. Fox News was the first to report the FBI raid.

The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama, is accused of traveling from Spring, Texas, to San Francisco to target the OpenAI CEO’s home and carry out the attack, which took place early Friday morning. An exterior gate caught on fire, but no one was hurt, police said.

OpenAI earlier said in a statement that the person who was suspected of throwing the Molotov cocktail had also allegedly made threats against the company’s headquarters, also in San Francisco.

Cecilio Padilla contributed to this report.

US government agrees to return rainbow pride flag to New York’s Stonewall Monument

2026-04-13 18:11:21 UTC / Reuters

By Jonathan Allen

April 13, 2026 6:11 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

节点运行失败

The Stonewall National Monument, where the LGBTQ+ rights movement was born, after authorities removed the Pride flag from the Greenwich Village site in New York City, U.S., February 10, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

NEW YORK, April 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed ​to restore the rainbow pride flag ‌to the Stonewall National Monument, which marks the birthplace of the modern gay rights ​movement in New York City, ​according to a proposal settlement filed in ⁠court on Monday.

The National Park ​Service, the federal agency overseeing U.S. national ​monuments, had removed the flag without warning in February, saying the flag was not an expression ​of the Trump administration’s “official sentiments.”

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Some New ​Yorkers sued the Trump administration, which has sought ‌to ⁠limit the rights of some LGBT people and vilified transgender people in particular, in order to restore the flag.

Under ​the proposed ​joint ⁠settlement filed for U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon’s approval in ​the Manhattan federal court, the ​National ⁠Park Service agreed to hang the pride flag alongside the U.S. flag within ⁠seven ​days and to not ​remove it “save for maintenance or other practical purposes.”

Reporting ​by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

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Trump warns China of ‘big problems’ over Iran weapons as Xi summit nears

2026-04-13 12:33pm EDT / Fox News

The warning comes ahead of a planned summit between Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing in May

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

President Donald Trump warned China it would face “big problems” if it supplies air defense systems to Tehran as Iran remains locked in a conflict with the United States and Israel.

“If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, OK?” Trump told reporters Saturday.

The warning comes as U.S. intelligence assessments indicate China may be preparing to supply, or already could have moved to supply, shoulder-fired air defense systems to Iran, according to multiple news outlets reporting on intelligence assessments, though officials caution the information is not definitive and there is no evidence the weapons have been used against U.S. or Israeli forces.

Trump’s warning also comes ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders expected to hold a summit in Beijing in May after it was postponed due to the ongoing conflict. The talks are likely to cover a range of issues, including trade tensions, Taiwan and the war involving Iran, placing additional pressure on U.S.-China relations as concerns mount over Beijing’s potential role in the conflict.

TRUMP VOICES FRUSTRATION WITH NATO, SAYS IRANIAN NAVY ‘DESTROYED’ AS US PREPS FOR BLOCKADE

The potential transfer of Chinese-supplied air defenses could increase risks to U.S. aircraft operating in the region, particularly low-flying missions already vulnerable to shoulder-fired missiles.

President Donald Trump warned China it would face “big problems” if it supplies air defense systems to Tehran as Iran remains locked in a conflict with the United States and Israel.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

China also has played a role in recent ceasefire efforts, pressing Iran to engage in talks with the United States and Israel through diplomatic outreach and coordination with regional partners, even as it denies providing military support to Tehran.

Officials familiar with the intelligence say the systems in question include man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, which are capable of targeting low-flying aircraft and have already posed a threat to U.S. assets in the region during the conflict.

MANPADS are shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles designed to target low-flying aircraft. U.S. officials believe a similar type of weapon was likely used to bring down an American F-15E fighter jet over Iran earlier in April, marking the first loss of a manned U.S. aircraft in Iran in the conflict.

Trump said at the time the jet was hit by a “shoulder-fired missile.”

Trump’s warning also comes ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders expected to hold a summit in Beijing in May after it was postponed due to the ongoing conflict.(Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It remains unclear whether any such systems have been transferred or are currently inside Iran, but the possibility has raised concerns among U.S. officials that additional air defenses could complicate future operations and increase risks to American pilots.

CHINA SAYS IT WILL RESUME SOME TIES WITH TAIWAN AFTER VISIT BY OPPOSITION LEADER

China has denied the reports, with its embassy in Washington saying it “never provides weapons to any party to the conflict” and calling the allegations untrue.

The reports come amid heightened tensions over China’s growing alignment with Iran, with U.S. officials increasingly warning that Beijing could play a more direct role in supporting Tehran as the conflict continues.

China has long played a role in supporting Iran’s military capabilities, supplying components used in ballistic missiles and drones as well as surveillance and targeting technologies, according to defense analysts. In recent years, Iran also has explored acquiring more advanced Chinese systems, including anti-ship missiles and air defense platforms, as it seeks to rebuild capabilities damaged in previous strikes.

It remains unclear whether any such systems have been transferred or are currently inside Iran, but the possibility has raised concerns among U.S. officials that additional air defenses could complicate future operations and increase risks to American pilots.(Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Separate from the reports on potential air defense transfers, investigations using satellite imagery and maritime tracking data have identified Iranian vessels departing Chinese ports carrying cargo believed to include sodium perchlorate, a key ingredient in ballistic missile fuel, according to a Washington Post report. Other reporting citing Western intelligence and shipping data indicates multiple such shipments have reached Iran during the conflict, raising concerns Beijing may be helping Tehran replenish missile capabilities even as it publicly calls for de-escalation.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations could not immediately be reached for comment.

DoorDasher joins Trump for impromptu White House press event after delivering McDonald’s

April 13, 2026 / 3:31 PM EDT / CBS News

By Kathryn Watson

Washington — In a televised moment Monday, President Trump welcomed DoorDash delivery driver Sharon Simmons to the White House and they both spoke to the media as she dropped off a food order from McDonald’s.

The president invited Simmons to talk to the press about tax breaks on tips, but also put her on the spot with questions about whom she voted for and whether she thinks “men should play in women’s sports.”

Simmons, who told reporters she’d never delivered to the White House before, said the “no tax on tips” policy has helped her financially at a time when her husband is fighting cancer. Simmons said the “no tax on tips” policy, which allows workers to keep more of their tips, netted her $11,000 more than she would have earned otherwise. Simmons agreed with the president that the tax benefit is “very special.”

“Well you’re really nice. Would you like to do a little news conference with me with these people?” he asked Simmons.

President Trump receives a DoorDash delivery of McDonald’s from Sharon Simmons before speaking to the press outside the Oval Office of the White House on April 13, 2026. Win McNamee / Getty Images

“It’s such an honor to meet you,” Mr. Trump told her. “And I think you voted for me, do you think?”

“Um, maybe,” Simmons said, laughing.

“I heard you’re a great supporter, we appreciate it,” the president said.

After reporters lobbed a number of questions to the president about Iran, the pope, and an AI-generated image he’d posted which appeared to depict him as Jesus, a reporter asked Simmons if the White House tips well.

“Um,” she smiled, “potentially.”

“Great,” Mr. Trump responded, handing her cash.

“Yes, very,” Simmons added.

President Trump pays Sharon Simmons after receiving a McDonald’s order via DoorDash in front of the Oval Office at the White House, April 13, 2026. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

At one point the president asked Simmons if she believes that “men should play in women’s sports,” after criticizing Democratic policies.

“I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons responded.

“You don’t? I’ll bet you do,” the president said.

“No, no. I’m here about no tax on tips,” she replied diplomatically.

Simmons, a full-time dasher from Arkansas, has completed more than 14,000 deliveries, according to DoorDash. She is a grandmother of 10.

“It was an incredible honor to represent Dashers from all over the country at the White House today,” Simmons said in a statement released by DoorDash. “Thanks to DoorDash, I have been able to provide for my family while keeping the schedule that works best for me, something I never thought would be possible. Now No Tax on Tips has taken things to the next level, letting me keep more of the tips I earn and deserve. Today is a celebration of the advocacy of thousands of Dashers from around the country who fought to ensure we were included in this policy.”

A White House official said the food delivery was given by the president to West Wing staff, “who greatly enjoyed the cheeseburgers and fries.”

Kristin Brown contributed to this report.

Trump is feuding with a pope — again. Why it’s different this time

2026-04-13T19:14:12.513Z / CNN

Analysis by

Aaron Blake

16 min ago

PUBLISHED Apr 13, 2026, 3:14 PM ET

Donald Trump Religion The Pope

Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Presidential Palace in Algiers, Algeria, on Monday, during a trip in which he will visit four African countries.

Luca Zennaro/Pool/Reuters

Few demographics were more important to President Donald Trump’s 2024 win than Catholics. While Catholics usually split close to 50-50, the data shows Trump won 55% or more of them — apparently the most of any presidential candidate in decades.

Just 17 months later, Trump is clashing with a pope … again.

This time, it might have a more lasting impact.

Trump went on to win the 2016 election after a brief spat with Pope Francis. But his new dispute with Pope Leo XIV is different.

What happened

Late Sunday, Trump lashed out at Pope Leo’s criticisms of the Iran war in a lengthy social media post, which:

• Called the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
• Claimed Leo was only elected pope “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
• Said Leo should “get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
• Said Leo was hurting the Catholic Church.

A member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, Bishop Robert Barron, called the post “entirely inappropriate and disrespectful” and said “the President owes the Pope an apology.”

Trump then took things to a whole new level by posting an apparently AI-generated fake image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person.

It’s an image that many critics, including some who supported Trump, like the Knights Templar International, labeled blasphemous. Trump later deleted the post and on Monday claimed he thought it depicted him as a doctor, which it did not.

Another clash with a pope in 2016

Pope Francis prays beside crosses representing those who died trying to cross the border at El Paso, Texas, in February 2016.

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images/File

The situation harks back to one that played out just more than a decade ago.

In early 2016, as Trump was pulling ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, he briefly tangled with Pope Francis over the pontiff’s comments on immigration.

When Francis was set to visit the Mexican border, Trump called him “a very political person” and suggested Mexico was using him. Days later, Francis seemed to criticize Trump’s plans to build a border wall, saying it was “not Christian” to focus on building walls rather than bridges.

Trump responded by calling Francis’ comments “disgraceful.” He even asserted that, if ISIS attacked the Vatican, the pope would have wished Trump were president.

It stood out, even in a campaign full of shocking moments. Here was the new frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination — a process that heavily involves religious voters — openly feuding with the most well-known faith leader in the world.

Plenty of think pieces were written about whether Trump was shooting himself in the foot, though Trump obviously emerged just fine from that dispute and won the presidency later that year.

What’s different about today

President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office on Monday.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The 2016 clash didn’t become a big deal because it was over about as quickly as it began. Just a day after his harshest criticisms of Francis, Trump suddenly sought to smooth things over.

He praised Francis as a “wonderful guy” and insisted they hadn’t actually been fighting. He even suggested the pope’s comment about walls and bridges had been overanalyzed and weren’t so critical of Trump.

It was a pretty shocking climbdown from Trump, a man who rarely backs down from a fight.

But the latest friction could drag out.

Trump has deleted his controversial social media image. But, otherwise, neither leader is signaling they have any intention of backing down.

Pope Leo is leaning into the dispute more than Francis did. While Francis obliquely criticized Trump’s immigration policies, Leo has been more direct about his criticisms about Trump, raising them repeatedly on both immigration and the war.

He even told reporters Monday aboard the papal airplane that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and would continue preaching the Gospel.

And Trump doubled down Monday on his other criticisms of Leo and said he wouldn’t apologize.

“No, because Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things. He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo.”

Another key element is Trump’s apparently blasphemous post.

While he deleted it (and denied that it was clearly a reference to Jesus Christ), the comparison crosses a line for many faithful Catholics and other Christians. The post also came a week after Trump’s spiritual adviser, Paula White-Cain, openly compared him to Jesus Christ at a White House event. (Trump ally Tucker Carlson even cited the scene while attacking Trump for how he deals with faith.)

“What [the media] really should be paying attention to are the Christian Trump supporters who have stood with him through Iran, who are waking up to his blasphemy,” conservative commentator Erick Erickson said on X.

Then there’s the fact that this is the first American pope.

While every pope has an international following, it’s logical to assume that Leo might matter more not just to American Catholics, but to Americans in general. The criticisms might sound different coming from the Chicago White Sox fan who speaks in unaccented English.

And indeed, polling has suggested the pope is overwhelmingly popular with Americans.

He was the most popular national figure of 14 people tested by Gallup last summer. And Americans viewed him positively by a 5-to-1 margin in an NBC News poll last month. Trump, meanwhile, is at a low point politically, with approval ratings that are down in the 30s in some recent polls.

It’s certainly possible that most Trump supporters wouldn’t be alienated by a prolonged feud with the pope. In fact, we should probably expect that, given how devoted Trump’s base has proved over the last decade.

But Trump can’t really afford to alienate many more supporters right now.

Catholics weren’t just hugely important to Trump in the 2024 election; they’ve actually stuck by Trump more than most groups, according to January data from the Pew Research Center.

Pew showed support for Trump’s agenda among White and Hispanic Catholics dropped less than it did with other groups, including evangelicals, other Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated.

All that to say: We could be seeing a clash between Trump and a pope that actually matters.

House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Eric Swalwell over sexual misconduct allegations

April 13, 2026 / 2:04 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The bipartisan House Ethics Committee announced Monday it is investigating Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who faces several allegations of sexual misconduct.

The committee said it is looking into whether Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.”

A spokesperson for Swalwell did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News.

Swalwell ended his campaign for California governor and is facing possible expulsion from the House after a former staffer accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was too intoxicated to consent on two occasions in 2019 and 2024. Her story was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle last Friday. Three other women also detailed Swalwell’s alleged sexual misconduct to CNN.

Swalwell has denied the allegations of sexual assault, calling them “flat false,” and has vowed to fight them.

“I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife,” he said in a video on Friday, two days before he ended his gubernatorial bid.

Swalwell is also facing pressure to resign from the House. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, has threatened to force a vote as soon as this week to expel Swalwell. Several Democrats have said they would back the effort.

The Ethics Committee, which conducts its investigative work in secret, is not known to move quickly, and lawmakers could use the investigation as cover to avoid expelling Swalwell immediately.

Luna told CBS News she intends to move forward with an expulsion resolution regardless of the the Ethics Committee’s announcement.

“I’m still doing the resolution,” Luna said. “I think we have the votes. It’s nice that congressional Ethics is doing that. However, my issue with Ethics in the past is that people will use it as an off-ramp to get out of voting for expulsion.”

Luna added that she will officially give notice of her intent to file a privileged motion on Tuesday, starting the clock for leadership to schedule a vote within two legislative days. Luna said she hopes a vote could be held Wednesday.

“I’ve been talking to leadership for a while on some of my concerns with some of the members that we currently have serving and they have not asked me to back off,” she said.

More than a dozen House Democrats in battleground districts wrote a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, urging them to “expedite” Ethics Committee investigations as several members face allegations of misconduct and possible expulsion votes.

“As the House returns to session this week, we urge you to take immediate action,” said the letter, which was led by Democratic Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada. “We respectfully request that you work together in a bipartisan manner to ensure these investigations proceed swiftly, that findings are made public, and that action is brought to the floor for a vote.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/eric-swalwell-reacts-as-more-details-emerge-on-sexual-assault-allegations/

Appeals court lets Trump resume White House ballroom construction, seeks lower court clarity

April 13, 2026 3:26pm EDT / Fox News

Trump announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot project in July

By Breanne Deppisch Fox News

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Saturday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to temporarily resume construction of his planned White House ballroom, granting a near-term win to the administration as it pushes forward with the nearly $400 million project.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed late last year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sought to block the construction. The group argued that the project violates multiple federal laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and charged that the plans amounted to executive overreach without required approval from Congress and federal planning bodies.

A lower court judge last month put the project on hold, triggering the administration’s appeal.

TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS IN COURT TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE EAST WING DEMOLITION, $300M BALLROOM BUILD ON TRACK

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shows a rendering of the ballroom to reporters.(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, in March issued a preliminary injunction blocking construction of the ballroom, finding the Trump administration likely lacked the legal authority to proceed without congressional approval. He said the government had not shown it had clear authorization to replace parts of the East Wing with a privately funded structure.

Leon’s order paused most construction work on the ballroom, though he allowed activity tied to White House security concerns, and briefly delayed enforcement of his ruling until mid-April, to give the administration time to appeal the case to a higher court.

The Trump administration quickly asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to intervene, arguing that the project is critical to the safety and security of the “president, his family, and White House staff.”

The 2-1 ruling from the circuit court did not immediately side with the Trump administration, but gave it temporary relief.

A majority of judges on the panel said the court needed more explanation from Leon before deciding whether construction should remain blocked.

Specifically, the judges asked Leon to clarify whether stopping the project would harm national security, as the Trump administration claims.

US APPEALS COURT HALTS TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE ORDERED BY BOASBERG, FOR NOW

President Donald Trump gesturing as he speaks

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House.(Alex Brandon/AP)

The appeals court also paused Leon’s order through April 17, giving the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court for emergency intervention if it chooses.

For now, the case will return to the district court for further explanation.

Trump first announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom in July, initially estimating the cost at around $200 million. He has said the project would be funded “100% by me and some friends of mine.”

Lawyers for the administration have pushed back on the lawsuit, arguing the president has authority over White House construction decisions and that Congress does not need to approve the project.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

The White House demolition process of the East Wing.(The Associated Press)

“No taxpayer dollars are being used for the funding of this beautiful, desperately needed, and completely secure… ballroom,” Justice Department lawyers said in court filings.

They added that past White House expansions, including the East and West Wings, did not require congressional involvement in their design or construction.

The National Trust, meanwhile, maintains the project cannot move forward without complying with federal law and proper review processes.

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The Justice Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation or whether it plans to seek Supreme Court intervention.

Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.

House Ethics Committee announces investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell

2026-04-13T17:48:36.746Z / CNN

By Clare Foran

PUBLISHED Apr 13, 2026, 1:48 PM ET

Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, on February 21.

Jeff Chiu/AP/File

The House Ethics Committee announced on Monday that it has opened an investigation into misconduct allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell.

The news comes as the California Democrat is under increasing scrutiny after CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a former staffer accused him sexual assault, describing a night of drinking that ended with Swalwell having sex with her when she could not consent. Swalwell, who suspended his campaign for California governor this weekend, faces calls for expulsion from Congress.

The committee said in a statement that it has opened an investigation into allegations that Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.”

The panel stated that “the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”

In addition to the allegation of sexual assault, three other women who spoke with CNN alleged other sexual misconduct, including that Swalwell sent unsolicited nude photos and graphic messages.

Swalwell has strongly and repeatedly denied allegations of sexual assault.

“To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he posted Sunday on X in his announcement suspending his campaign. “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.