‘It was a good decision’: Top Dems praise Swalwell’s decision to resign from Congress

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., has announced that he plans to resign from Congress following allegations of sexual misconduct, prompting criticism from Senate Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., praised the decision.

Meanwhile, Republicans are questioning how much Democrats knew before the final ball dropped on Monday with Swalwell’s resignation, which came just days after he suspended his California gubernatorial campaign.

Swalwell said Monday that he was “profoundly sorry” to his family, staff and constituents for his “mistakes,” but he stood firm in calling the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against him “false.”

“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate ouster vote against me and other members,” Swalwell said in his announcement. “To expel anyone from Congress without due process, a few days after being accused, is wrong. But, it is also wrong for my constituents to be distracted from my work. Therefore, I plan to resign from my position in Congress.”

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“It was a good decision,” added Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., when asked about Swalwell’s resignation. “You don’t have to be rocket science to figure that out. It’s bad – that’s what’s suspected.”

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., reportedly told CNN that he thinks Swalwell made the right decision.

Swalwell’s decision to resign made it impossible for Democrats to vote on a controversial resolution to fire Swalwell, which was expected to happen if he did not resign.

“For criminal investigations in the works, this measure will avoid the need to quickly answer questions in a conduct investigation that may present legal risks,” said George Washington University professor and Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley. “Few defense attorneys would be happy for a client to respond to a due process investigation where the outcome seems likely to be dismissal.”

When asked if she had asked for Swalwell’s resignation, Pelosi reportedly replied, “Oh, I think it was her decision. I think it was the right decision,” according to Politico reporter Riley Rogerson.

Furthermore, when asked if she had any preconceived notions about the allegations of sexual misconduct, Pelosi replied, “none,” Rogerson noted. Sen. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a longtime friend and colleague from Arizona who faced heat for defending him, said minutes before Swalwell’s resignation that he had “no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and misconduct by Eric Swalwell.”

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Warren, who ran for office with Swalwell when the pair were fighting for the presidency, said he was happy that [Swalwell] it will be gone,” adding that “people in positions and authority over others need to account when they take advantage of that position.

Within an hour of Swalwell’s announcement that he would resign, one of Swalwell’s colleagues in the House of Representatives, Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, followed suit and resigned again amid similar allegations of sexual impropriety.

“There is a time for everything and God has a plan for all of us. When Congress comes back tomorrow, I will retire instead. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas,” said Gonzales.

Attorneys Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., have both come under accusations of sexual misconduct from accusers. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Gonzalez said last month that he would not run for re-election, so it is unclear what could change. If Gonzalez and Swalwell were to leave tomorrow, the narrow margin in the House between Republicans and Democrats would not change.

Republican reaction to Swalwell’s resignation on Monday was matched by praise from Democrats. California Republican presidential front-runner Steve Hilton also criticized “career politicians” for letting Swalwell “get away with it.”

“Yes, Eric Swalwell had to drop out of the race for governor of California. The question is, why was he ever in it, knowing he had all this going on?” Hilton told Fox News Digital.

“It was the first smart thing he did,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C., who added that Gonzales “needs to follow his lead” before he acts.

“Eric, you did the right thing by resigning. However, never say there were no reasons for your dismissal, because there were,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., after Swalwell announced she would resign. “He made the right decision, but there still needs to be a full criminal investigation. Based on what I’m hearing, he could go to jail.”

Rep. Swalwell plays basketball in the pool during the 2025 government shutdown. (Eric Swalwell via X)

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Some Republicans have questioned how much Democrats knew before allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell became public.

“The mainstream media doesn’t attack a Democrat unless it’s helping a different Democrat. It’s axiomatic. The Swalwell episode proves that in technicolor,” John Ashbrook, co-host of the “Ruthless” podcast told Fox News Digital. “If he hadn’t jeopardized their group’s ability to hold the California Governor’s mansion, none of them would have said anything.”

“Eric Swalwell should have been removed from Congress a long time ago, yet the Democrats kept circling him again and again even after it was shown that he was targeted by a Chinese spy,” added Republican strategist Mark Bednar, who worked for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and current Transportation Secretary and former Congressman Sean Duffy. “The real questions for Democrats close to him are what did they know, when did they know, and will they question Speaker Pelosi’s decision at the time regarding Swalwell’s committee assignments?”

Hilton echoed Bednar’s questions about how much top Democrats know.

“The machine politicians and the unions that endorsed Swalwell and threw money at him – they knew about his future. It was an open secret on Capitol Hill and in Sacramento. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, the teachers’ unions, SEIU – they are all full of their fake outrage and rejection,” Hilton told Fox News Digital. “California is ruled by a corrupt Democratic Alliance party that falls into chaos, islands and actions. That’s why the representatives Swalwell sends to compete with me in the general election, whether it’s Katie Porter or Tom Steyer, will not be better.”