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Ruben Gallego on Swalwell’s “Double Life”

Inside the senator and 2028 contender’s emotional press conference, where he disavowed his former best friend and tried to soothe donors.

Ruben Gallego
Gallego is a potential 2028 presidential contender, and the press conference was, in many ways, an attempt to put to rest rumors that might spook donors or damage candidates he’s endorsed for 2026, in addition to preserving his own political ambitions. Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
April 14, 2026

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Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales both officially resigned in disgrace from Congress today, but the fallout is just beginning. Another woman has come forward to accuse Swalwell of sexual assault, alleging that he slipped a drug into her drink, choked her, and raped her in a California hotel in 2018. Swalwell, who has also suspended his campaign for California governor, has denied any sexual misconduct. Meanwhile, Swalwell’s former best friend, Sen. Ruben Gallego, held an emotional 40-minute news conference today to accuse the former congressman of leading a “double life” and misleading those closest to him—but mostly to deny that he’d had any knowledge of Swalwell’s alleged wrongdoing.