Senator Gallego on Relationship with Swalwell Following Allegations

Senator Rubén Gallego of Arizona recently discussed his relationship with Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. The interview followed Swalwell's withdrawal from the California governor's race after sexual misconduct allegations became public.

Gallego had previously endorsed Swalwell's gubernatorial bid, chaired his 2020 presidential campaign, and invested in his AI startup.

Knowledge of Allegations

During the interview, Gallego was asked about his knowledge of the allegations against Swalwell prior to their public disclosure.

Gallego stated he had "no clue, no knowledge of any of the allegations or predatory behavior."

He said he and others have since been in conversation to understand "what did we do wrong? What did we not see?"

On Rumors and "Flirty" Culture

When asked about rumors of Swalwell's behavior, Gallego said he was aware of a culture in Washington, D.C., where some politicians, including Swalwell, were described as "flirty." However, he stated he had not heard of "inappropriate" or "predatory" behavior, particularly toward staff.

Defense on Social Media

Gallego was asked about a recent social media post in which he defended Swalwell. He cited two reasons for the defense:

1. That rumors had circulated for a long time without formal allegations surfacing.
2. That Swalwell's team appealed to him shortly after a difficult 2024 campaign.

A Changed Perspective

"Knowing now everything I know of, I would never have done it," Gallego stated.

He added that with his current knowledge, "we would not have had the relationship that we had."

On Personal Judgment

When asked if the situation reflected poorly on his judgment, Gallego responded that his "judgment was off" in part because he knew Swalwell as a "family man" with whom he had a personal relationship outside of work.

Gallego concluded, "I have to learn from this, and I will learn from this."