How Nancy Pelosi backed Eric Swalwell’s rise in Congress

Before he was an accused rapist, Eric Swalwell was a Democratic golden boy who rose to some of the most influential roles in Washington over his 13 year career in Congress.

With the help of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and other powerful allies, Swalwell won key appointments at congressional committees and made a name for himself as a leading Democrat fighting against the Trump administration.

Swalwell now stands accused by five women of sexual misconduct, such as sending nudes and non-consensual touching. Two of them alleged rape, including revelations made Tuesday that Swalwell allegedly drugged and raped a model in a hotel room in 2018.

He vowed to fight the “false” allegations. However, Swalwell suspended his campaign for governor Sunday and officially resigned from Congress Tuesday as allies abandoned him.

One of those crucial allies was former House Speaker Pelosi, who was one of the first political figures to tell Swalwell to drop out, saying the handling of accusations was “best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

Questions are swirling, however, over whether the disgraced congressman’s friends and allies were unaware of Swalwell’s alleged actions despite knowing him for so long.

Pelosi, a powerhouse in California politics, plucked out Swalwell for many plum spots when she was speaker.

In 2014, Pelosi put a relatively new Swalwell on the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee, which shapes key policies for House Democrats and are de facto members of senior leadership. She then described him as “an energetic and forward-looking leader who will bring fresh ideas and perspectives.”

Then in 2016, as minority leader, she elevated him further on the steering committee, making him vice-chair.

Pelosi was warned about potential concerns around Swalwell. In 2020, a briefing by the FBI flagged connections between Swalwell and a suspected Chinese spy. Still, Pelosi said then that “I don’t have any concern about Mr. Swalwell.”

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Then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urged Pelosi to remove Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee after the briefing. Pelosi didn’t heed those warnings, and in 2021, she re-appointed Swalwell to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

He was also serving on the intelligence committee and House Judiciary Committee under Pelosi’s leadership.

One of her more prominent decisions involving Swalwell was making him the manager in President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021. That allowed him to burnish an anti-Trump reputation, which later buoyed his gubernatorial campaign this year.

Despite all those connections, Pelosi at a Monday event denied knowing any of Swalwell’s alleged pursuits of women.

“I had none whatsoever,” Pelosi said.

She called the resignation “a smart decision” but didn’t directly answer if she told Swalwell to also resign from Congress.

“I think that was his decision,” she responded. “That’s the right thing to do, yes, not to subject members to have to take a vote on something like that, and not to subject your family.”