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John Phillips: Eric, we hardly knew ye

April 13, 2026

Eric Swalwell being a world-class creep has become the new “Joe Biden was demented.” Privately, everyone in the business knew it was true, but somehow pretended not to know in public. Of course, I’m referring to the East Bay Democrat Congressman, who has suspended his candidacy for California governor, in light of accusations, by multiple women, of sexual misconduct and assault.

The public reaction has been devastating for the long-time Northern California Congressman, who—over the course of 24 hours—lost the endorsements of the California Teachers Association, the SEIU, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, and every single member of the U.S. House of Representatives who had previously backed his campaign, among others.

Now, many of these same people are calling on him to drop out of the race, and some are even calling on him to resign from Congress.

As the late, great Chick Hearn would say, the mustard came off the hot dog. Oddly enough, just before Swalwell’s accusers went public, his most prominent supporters were singing his praises.

Two months ago, California Senator Adam Schiff vouched for Swalwell’s character, saying that unlike President Donald Trump, Swalwell wasn’t “fundamentally indecent.” Agreed. According to his community of accusers, Swalwell is irredeemably, thoroughly, and violently indecent.

In his endorsement of Swalwell, Schiff said, “I’m endorsing my friend Eric Swalwell to be the next governor of the great state of California. I know the Golden State will be in good hands with Eric Swalwell.”

In January of 2026, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a glowing review of Swalwell, saying, “Eric Swalwell is a fighter. He’s smart, he’s tough, and he knows how to get things done for California. I’m proud to support him for governor.” And when Republicans tried to remove Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee for an alleged affair with a Chinese spy, Pelosi came to his defense and said, “Eric Swalwell is a valued member of the House Intelligence Committee. He has done nothing wrong. The idea that he should be removed is ridiculous.” If that’s not proof of Nancy’s cognitive decline, I don’t know what is.

In February of this year, Los Angeles area congressman and former campaign co-chair of Swalwell’s bid for California governor, Jimmy Gomez, said, “Eric Swalwell is a fighter for working families. He’s been a champion for progressive values, for healthcare, for education, and for standing up to powerful interests. California needs a governor who isn’t afraid to take on the tough fights—and that’s exactly what Eric has done throughout his career. I’m proud to endorse my friend Eric Swalwell for Governor.” Now, all three want Swalwell to take a hike.

If they only knew back then that Swalwell was a cad, maybe they never would have endorsed him.

But, in fact, they all almost certainly did know, and yet they decided to get behind him anyway.

Whether it was out of personal affection for a friend, the fear of Republicans winning the governor’s seat, or a severe (and understandable) dislike of other Democrats running for that governor, or some combination of the three, they made the decision to back a deeply flawed candidate to run California.

Who told me that many top Democrats knew for years about Swalwell’s bad behavior?

Those very same top Democrats and the reporters who cover them.

For example: Over the weekend Steven Tavares, author of East Bay Insiders, posted on X, “I’ve covered Eric Swalwell since he was a member of the Dublin City Council. Shortly after being elected to Congress in 2013, his behavior towards women was known by all levels of our local government and the Alameda County Democratic Party.” Longtime Democratic Party campaign strategist Bri Gillis also took to X responding to the allegations against Swalwell by writing, “Anyone who has been in DC for five minutes knows this. It’s actually wild it took this long.”

And independent journalist Yashar Ali echoed that sentiment when he posted, “It’s because they’ve all known for years. It’s been an open secret. And I don’t say that as a guess.”

Then, the report in the San Francisco Chronicle outlining Swalwell’s alleged misdeeds dropped. That bombshell had the same effect on Swalwell’s campaign for governor as Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump had on Sleepy Joe’s re-election bid. Two words: Game over.

All it took was one public train wreck so big that Pete Buttigieg ignored it — to give Swalwell’s former supporters permission to admit publicly what they have known privately all along.

What profiles in courage! More like profiles in cowardice, corruption and dishonesty…

John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.

Orange County Register

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John Phillips: Eric, we hardly knew ye

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