California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is facing backlash on social media after it was reported that his lawyer was sending cease-and-desist letters to Swalwell’s accusers a day before multiple bombshell allegations were published on Friday.

Swalwell, who once called on lawmakers to hear out women raising allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 confirmation hearings and said they «deserve to be heard,» is now being slammed for hypocrisy.

«I saw continued demeaning of victims of sexual assault, people who deserve to be heard, people who deserve their allegations to be investigated and a president who wants to rush this through,» Swalwell said in an interview with MSNBC at the time.

«And so, for Brett Kavanaugh’s sake, if he is innocent, I hope tomorrow he opens his statement and says, ‘You know what? Bring in all the victims, all of them to be questioned.’ That will clear his name if he is indeed innocent,» Swalwell added.

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The resurfaced clip comes as Swalwell has made efforts to downplay allegations against him as he leads a crowded field of gubernatorial hopefuls in a race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is prevented by term limits from remaining in the role.

Jonathan Turley, a Fox News contributor and Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, took to X on Friday, saying Swalwell is «hoping that voters will apply a different standard than the one he applied to Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation.»

«When Kavanaugh was asserting his innocence, Swalwell was leading the mob,» Turley continued.

Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations in the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted «Receipt time» on X while resurfacing an old Swalwell post attacking Kavanaugh.

«Oh, how I remember this hypocritical predator peddling these utterly bullsh– allegations against Kavanaugh,» Davis said in another post.

Rumblings of sexual misconduct from Swalwell first emerged last month when Cheyenne Hunt, a former Capitol Hill staffer and a progressive political media personality, began circulating testimony from women who said they had been sexually assaulted by the congressman.

Swalwell’s lawyer, Elias Dabaie, reportedly sent out cease-and-desist letters to try to quell the rumors Thursday, but multiple outlets, including CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle, published bombshell reports Friday, which Swalwell later denied in a video he posted late Friday night on X.

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Democratic United States Representative Eric Swalwell delivers a speech as he attends the SEIU-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW)’s Gubernatorial Candidate Worker Forum at Meruelo Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 10, 2026. = (Etienne Laurent/AFP)

One of the alleged victims shared her story publicly for the first time, accusing Swalwell of taking advantage of her while she was intoxicated on multiple occasions, according to a report published by the San Francisco Chronicle. 

The alleged victim’s story also included claims that Swalwell pressured her to send naked pictures of herself and sent sexually explicit photos of his own, pulled out his private parts while driving in a car with her and requested she perform oral sex on him, among other incidents the victim said affected how Swalwell treated her professionally.

The unnamed female accuser reportedly worked for Swalwell for about two years and revealed that he started pursuing her, despite being married, shortly after she was hired as a 21-year-old staffer in his district office.  

She also reportedly revealed that years after she worked for Swalwell, she attended an April 2024 charity event Swalwell was being honored at and reunited with him. In her account of the night, which included grabbing drinks with him after the event and later blacking out, she alleged that she remembered pushing Swalwell away and told him «no» as he allegedly tried to force her to have sex with him in his hotel room. 

The woman reportedly texted a friend after the incident telling her she had been sexually assaulted by Swalwell. Other messages reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle reportedly showed the victim indicating she had «blacked out» but «woke up once during it and even told him to stop at one point.»

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel in the Rayburn House Office Building on Sept. 17, 2025.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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After the allegations went viral and top Democrats called for him to drop out of the California gubernatorial race, Swalwell said in a video message on X that the «sexual assault allegations are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened and I will fight them with everything that I have.»

«I’ve certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife and to her- I apologize deeply for putting her in this position,» Swalwell continued.

«This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,» Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell, said earlier this week.

Swalwell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Miles de trabajadores venezolanos marcharon el jueves pasado hacia el Palacio de Miraflores en Caracas, desafiando la represión de las fuerzas de seguridad y el anuncio oficial de un “aumento responsable” del salario mínimo. La movilización, protagonizada por empleados públicos, sindicalistas, estudiantes y diversos gremios, marcó un nuevo episodio de tensión social en Venezuela, donde el salario básico permanece congelado en 130 bolívares al mes, equivalentes a menos de 30 centavos de dólar, y la inflación interanual supera el 600%.

En diálogo con Infobae, la líder de la oposición venezolana y Premio Nobel de la Paz, María Corina Machado, afirmó que lo ocurrido días atrás expresa un proceso social irreversible: “Lo que vimos en las calles de Venezuela es una expresión que ya nadie puede detener. Durante años y años se fue construyendo un movimiento por la dignidad, por la justicia, por la libertad, por la familia, y ha sido un proceso de adentro de cada individuo hacia afuera, y desde las bases de la sociedad y las entrañas del país”.

Los cuerpos de seguridad del régimen chavista volvieron a responder a través de la represión dispersando a los manifestantes con el uso de gases lacrimógenos y detenciones. Sin embargo, Machado opinó que la represión provoca un efecto contrario al deseado por el oficialismo: “El régimen no entiende que esto cambió para siempre y que no hay manera que puedan, a estas alturas, detener este proceso que es irreversible”.

En ese sentido, agregó que la violenta respuesta de las fuerzas de seguridad “lo que logra es acelerar un proceso de transición que es indetenible”, y advirtió: “El mundo tiene que entender y asumir que los venezolanos no nos vamos a conformar con nada distinto a full democracia, justicia y libertad”.

“Si la señora Delcy Rodríguez pretende lavarse las manos de todos los crímenes que cometió Nicolás Maduro, la represión de estos días se le atribuye directamente a ella”, aseveró.

Consultada sobre la actitud de la sociedad frente a la represión, Machado afirmó que los venezolanos han aprendido “cómo lidiar y superar el miedo”: “Nos hemos protegido en los momentos en los cuales la represión estaba desatada, pero nunca hemos dejado de organizarnos, de actuar y de avanzar”. La opositora describió la movilización como una “represa que se abrió”, en referencia al carácter masivo y transversal de las protestas: “Cada joven, cada trabajador, cada anciano que hoy levanta las voces dentro y fuera de Venezuela, pero sobre todo dentro del país enfrentando estos ataques con dignidad, son los héroes, y son millones de héroes, que tienen nombre y apellido, y el mundo tiene que reconocerlos”.

Machado subrayó el impacto emocional y social de la represión, pero también el valor de los testimonios de quienes se animan a protestar: “Venezuela es como una represa contenida que se ha ido llenando de dolor, de humillación, de angustia, de pérdida, y por otra parte, de ilusiones, de aprendizajes, de organización, de victorias, de amor, y esa represa se abrió”.

“Estos tipos creen que a punta de represión van a poder repetir lo que hicieron durante años, y no terminan de entender que esto cambió, y cambió para siempre. Estas expresiones de la demanda ciudadana van a seguir reproduciéndose y creciéndose cada día que pasa. No hay represión que pueda detenerlas”, añadió.

La líder opositora, quien viene enviando constantes mensajes a las fuerzas de seguridad para detener la violencia contra la población, también hizo referencia a la actitud de algunos funcionarios de seguridad: “Debemos ver los videos y todos los registros que hay de los policías y funcionarios a los que se les vio en contra de la represión, e incluso algunos de ellos ayudaron a los heridos”.

Las exigencias de los manifestantes se centran en derechos laborales, libertad de protesta y garantías democráticas. Machado afirmó que los venezolanos han demostrado “una y mil veces que no nos vamos a detener antes de lograr lo que nos hemos propuesto: traer a nuestras familias de vuelta a casa, y eso solo es posible en un país libre, donde haya respeto a los derechos de cada ciudadano, donde todos seamos iguales ante la ley; donde exista libertad de expresión, libertad de asociación, libertad de protesta, y desde luego, donde podamos decidir nuestro futuro”.

Al respecto, la Premio Nobel de la Paz consideró que, tras más de dos décadas de sufrir innumerables violaciones a los derechos humanos bajo la dictadura chavista, “no hay una sociedad en el mundo mejor preparada, organizada y forjada para la democracia” que la sociedad venezolana. “Hemos aprendido el costo de perder la libertad y hemos dado todo, incluso la vida, para recuperarla”.

Por eso, la líder venezolana enfatizó el objetivo de lograr elecciones libres y transparentes: “Todos los venezolanos exigimos, reclamamos, demandamos y avanzamos para poder ejercer nuestro derecho a elegir libremente, de una vez por todas, a quienes deben representarnos para construir el país que nos merecemos”.

En relación con la situación de los presos políticos, María Corina Machado sostuvo: “Todos nuestros presos políticos son de todos los venezolanos. No son de un partido, de una organización, de un sindicato o de las Fuerzas Armadas. Todos son ciudadanos venezolanos, civiles y militares, y son inocentes. Continúan presos por ejercer su derecho y deber a vivir en libertad”.

Por su parte, denunció que la persecución sobre los militares responde al temor del régimen: “La forma cómo se han ensañado contra los militares es la demostración que le tienen terror a las Fuerzas Armadas, porque Delcy Rodríguez sabe que las Fuerzas Armadas no confían en ella y no la apoyan”.

Communist China is reportedly providing military assistance to the embattled Iranian regime, according to a leading U.S. military think tank and other reporting. 

The Institute for the Study of War stated that China is providing military assistance to the Iranian regime’s missile program, basing its research on recent reporting.

According to the Institute, «China is helping Iran reconstitute the Iranian missile program amid US-Israeli efforts to degrade it.»

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According to the Institute for the Study of War, «Western media reported that China has sent multiple shipments of missile fuel precursor to Iran since the start of the war.»

The institute said that, «China’s efforts to help Iran reconstitute could undermine the combined force efforts to degrade or destroy the supporting elements of the ballistic missile program.»

Gordon Chang, an expert on China, told Fox News Digital that «China is an enemy combatant and is endangering our troops.»

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that, «Ships believed to be carrying Chinese chemicals for missile fuel have arrived in Iran, raising questions about Beijing’s support for the regime. Four sanctioned Iran-flagged vessels have docked at Iranian ports since the war broke out.»

The report also claimed that, «Sanctioned vessels carrying enough chemicals to produce hundreds of projectiles travel from Chinese to Iranian ports.»

Chang urged the U.S. to seize the Chinese vessels that are reportedly transporting sodium perchlorate, the chemical material required for Iran’s missile fuel systems. He added that «It is a question of America’s will to impose costs on China.»

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with the late Supreme Leader of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, Iran on January 23, 2016. (Pool / Supreme Leader Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Chang concluded by noting that the «President of the U.S. has many points of leverage. If you look at the overall relationship between China and the U.S., the U.S. has more cards to play.» He cited the U.S.-China trade relationship because China is an export-driven country and depends on the vital American consumer market.

The Islamic Republic’s military forces have reportedly been feverishly working to rebuild their missile apparatus after punishing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war on Feb. 28.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, «Iran has been digging out underground missile bunkers and silos struck by the combined force, in some cases returning them to operation hours after strikes, according to recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Iran may be reestablishing access to their launchers hours after strikes, but these launchers are components of a larger system that has been degraded. Reported fear and lack of coordination across some Iranian forces mean that medium-range missile systems are still functioning sub-optimally.»

Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, June 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Tomer Neuberg)

Chinese companies have been sanctioned as part of busting U.S. restrictions on providing military aid to Iran’s regime. In 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had «designated one individual and six entities in a sanctions’ evasion network that has facilitated Iran’s procurement of electronic components for its destabilizing military programs, including those used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Particularly, this action targets the head of U.S.-designated Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), and the entity’s Iran-, Malaysia-, Hong Kong, and PRC-based front companies[People’s Republic of China] and suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology.»

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, «China portrays itself as a neutral actor in the conflict with Iran, but it has long ignored the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions and destabilizing activities while providing the regime an economic lifeline and other support. The United States has sanctioned China- and Hong Kong-based entities and individuals for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV proliferation activities.  We will continue to act to ensure China does not contribute to the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities.»

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Just last month, a report by the Atlantic Council noted «China has supplied Iran with drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and the components thereof, to aid in its aerial and maritime defense capabilities. In other instances, China directly supplies Iran with Western or Chinese technology components that are found in Iranian drones used against US military installations and economic interests in the Gulf, as well as on Russia’s battlefield in Ukraine.»

Fox News Digital press queries to China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were not immediately returned.