Disgraced former congressman close associate on Capitol Hill, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, acknowledged that he had heard rumors regarding Swalwell’s flirtatious behavior with women. He, however, never addressed the issue with him.
Swalwell stepped down from his congressional position in on Tuesday following accusations of sexual misconduct and rape from five women, which Gallego stated completely took him by surprise after Swalwell claimed the allegations were unfounded.
Also Read:
Gallego calls Eric Swalwell ‘very good predator’
Speaking outside his office in Washington DC, Gallego said that “I fell for it,” stressing that “became very good at being a predator” and “extremely proficient at lying to us, lying to his family, lying to his community,” NY Post reported.
Gallego further said that Swalwell had a reputation for being “flirty” with women; however, after spending considerable time with Swalwell’s wife and family, he began to reconsider whether this was a fair assessment of the person he regarded as a friend.
When questioned about whether he should have taken action upon first hearing the “rumors,” Gallego admitted that he should have discussed it with him.
‘I regret it,’ says Ruben Gallego on not confronting Swalwell
In his emotional remarks, Gallego stated that he had “trusted” Swalwell, but “It hurts the fact that he hurt a lot of people. And it pi**es me off that now we all have to deal with all of his BS, his family, the poor victims that are still going to have to seek justice,” according to The Post.
Showing immense regret over how he was deceived, he said, “I fell for it like everyone else. I fell for the lies. I regret it. But that’s what happened.”
Also Read:
Swalwell resignation and House Ethics Committee probe
Swalwell, who was previously leading the campaign to become the next Governor of California before the emergence of the , submitted his resignation from Congress to the Clerk of the House of Representatives on Tuesday after a fifth woman stepped forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct.
Swalwell has refuted all of the allegations. “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” Swalwell stated in a social media post.
The House Ethics Committee has launched an inquiry to determine if Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, participated in sexual misconduct with an employee he supervises, said the panel on Monday, April 13.
The committee emphasized that the investigation does not imply any wrongdoing.
“The mere fact that it is investigating these allegations… does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the panel stated.
