Critics blast Democrats after Swalwell resignation, say saga shows ‘how politics really works’

Anger over the sexual abuse allegations that led to Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., resigning from Congress is reaching a fever pitch as one critic claimed the saga exposes "how politics really works" in the United States.

While maintaining his innocence, Swalwell, a seven-term congressman and former Democratic presidential candidate, announced Monday he would resign from Congress following sexual assault allegations from multiple former staffers. On the same day, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, also announced his resignation from Congress. Their departures have prompted new calls to purge Congress of perpetrators of sexual abuse.

After Swalwell announced his resignation, Dale Stark, a political pundit and veteran, reacted, "The Swalwell saga perfectly shows how politics really works in America. They’ve had this dirt on him for years and sat on it until he stepped out of line."

Stark added that this "explains why no matter who you vote for, you get the same results," adding, "One nation under blackmail."

ERIC SWALWELL ACCUSED OF PAYING NANNY WITH CAMPAIGN FUNDS WHILE SHE LACKED WORK AUTHORIZATION

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., center, Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., conduct a news conference on being removed from committee assignments, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a similar line, decrying the Democratic leadership for not taking action against Swalwell sooner.

"The Democrat Party was aware of this guy’s behavior but never said anything until the party was threatened with getting shut out of the governor race," DeSantis wrote.

Until these allegations surfaced, Swalwell was a frontrunner in the California gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign for governor on Sunday. His sudden ouster, however, has many speculating that deeper forces are at play.

Conservative pundit and podcaster Michael Knowles suggested Swalwell’s ouster was the result of political maneuvering by the Democrats.  

"So the Dems improve their chances in the CA gov race and also avoid putting their members on record in a vote to expel, and all it cost them was a replaceable congressman, whose seat will now be filled by another Dem," he wrote. "Gotta give the devils their due: they're good at the game."

Kari Lake, a former Republican candidate for both Arizona governor and senator, reacted that she is "glad Eric Swalwell is finally on his way out of Congress," but cautioned, "He should take the rest of the creeps with him. Washington is infested with them."

"The American people are fed up with this depraved, disgusting behavior from our so-called leaders," she wrote on X. "It's time to restore basic decency, respect, & real accountability in our nation's capital."

SWALWELL'S 'BEST FRIEND' IN CONGRESS TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS TORPEDO HIS POLITICAL CAREER

Regina Santos-Aviles, a staffer for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Uvalde, Texas. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images | Regina Santos-Aviles Facebook)

Pundit Scott Jennings reacted, "Democrats and people in the media are openly admitting something shameful and horrifying: They ALL KNEW about Eric Swalwell."

"They said nothing, leaving the victims to suffer in silence. But why? The answer is obvious," he went on. "To protect this Looney Tunes Eric Swalwell because he was good at going out and attacking Donald Trump. I mean, let’s be honest, that’s why he was under their protection."

Meanwhile, some suggested that there are more members of Congress who must be ousted.

SWALWELL’S FORMER DEM RIVAL UNLOADS ON HIS ‘LIGHTWEIGHT’ CAREER AS SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS EMERGE

An early morning visitor to the National Mall is silhouetted against the orange sky of daybreak behind the U.S. Capitol Dome on April 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

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Madison Cawthorn, a former Republican congressman who sparked backlash after alleging he was invited to an orgy by fellow lawmakers and had witnessed cocaine use, wrote a cryptic post that "Swalwell is not the only one."

"I warned you all about what goes on in Washington. Why is everyone acting surprised?" Cawthorn wrote on X.