The California Democrat who dated a Chinese spy just suspended his campaign for governor.
Now a veteran local reporter says the party knew about something else – and stayed quiet.
What the party knew is worse than what he did.
Alameda County Democrats Knew About Swalwell Since 2013 and Said Nothing
East Bay journalist Steve Tavares has covered Eric Swalwell since he sat on the Dublin City Council.
He knows where the bodies are buried.
And on Saturday, Tavares went on the record with something that explains exactly why Swalwell's campaign collapsed.
"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," Tavares wrote.
https://twitter.com/eastbaycitizen/status/2043119729599287690?s=20
Thirteen years.
Tavares didn't hide from his own role in the story.
"I tried repeatedly to get the stories out," he wrote. "I can't force women to speak out, and when they chose not to, I didn't push."
Then came the part that explains why victims stay quiet: "I also knew that Swalwell was known to threaten litigation."
He silenced them with lawyers.
https://twitter.com/eastbaycitizen/status/2043173023738650804?s=20
The Democrats Demanding Swalwell Resign Backed Him for Over a Decade
Democrats spent years telling America they were the party of women.
They destroyed Brett Kavanaugh over allegations they couldn't prove.
They buried Al Franken for a photograph.
They screamed from rooftops that women must always be believed.
And in Alameda County, California – the bluest corner of the bluest state – Democrat Party officials knew about Eric Swalwell's behavior toward women since 2013 and covered it up for over a decade.
Not one of them said a word.
Now prominent California Democrats are lining up to back Tom Steyer for governor instead – not because they suddenly grew a conscience, but because Swalwell became a liability.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta and Rep. Ro Khanna have both endorsed Steyer.
That's not a principled stand.
That's rats leaving a ship they've been riding for thirteen years.
Swalwell suspended his campaign Sunday night and now faces calls to resign from Congress entirely.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has filed a motion to expel him.
The allegations come from former staffers – people who worked for him, trusted him, and are now speaking out about sexual assault.
This is not gossip.
This is a federal congressman's former employees going on record.
Swalwell Had No Real Support in His District Long Before the Sexual Assault Allegations
Tavares had one more thing to add – and it cuts deeper than the misconduct story.
"For a candidate who could plausibly contend for governor of the nation's most powerful state, Eric Swalwell's base of support at home is strikingly thin," Tavares wrote.
The reasons go beyond the misconduct.
Swalwell bought a home in Washington, D.C., and became a fixture of cable news green rooms instead of East Bay town halls.
He unseated two well-regarded local Democrats early in his career – Pete Stark and Ellen Corbett – and the resentment from that never went away.
He backed law enforcement, talked tough on the border, and stood firmly with Israel – positions that made him a pariah in the radical-left East Bay he was supposed to represent.
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2043405105157091348?s=20
Even the hard left doesn't want him.
And now the story that Tavares tried to publish for years is finally out – because former staffers found the courage to speak despite Swalwell's litigation threats.
Swalwell's campaign also accepted a $25,000 donation from a lawyer with ties to the Chinese Communist Party – on top of his already-documented relationship with Chinese spy Christine Fang, who bundled campaign donations for him and built a personal relationship with him that the FBI had to intervene to end.
This man was on the House Intelligence Committee.
He had access to America's most sensitive national security secrets.
And Democrats in Alameda County spent thirteen years deciding their careers mattered more than the women he worked with.
That's the part they don't want you to know.
Sources:
- CJ Womack, "California reporter claims Eric Swalwell's conduct 'was known,' raises questions about local support," Fox News, April 12, 2026.
- Steve Tavares, "East Bay Insiders," East Bay Insiders Newsletter, April 6, 2026.
- Fox News Digital, "House Republican plans motion to oust Swalwell from Congress amid sexual assault allegations," Fox News, April 2026.
- Fox News Digital, "Swalwell campaign sets off alarm bells after accepting $25K donation from CCP-tied lawyer," Fox News, April 2026.