So just to recap where we are with the Democratic Party’s finest: Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress last week after four women accused him of sexual assault, and now his former campaign chairman — sitting U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona — has been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee for allegations that include sexual misconduct and possible involvement in sex trafficking.
Birds of a feather get investigated together. Somebody should put that on a bumper sticker.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna — who has been on Gallego’s case like a dog on a bone — formally referred the allegations to Senate Majority Leader John Thune this week. Thune confirmed he’s forwarded the complaint to the Senate Ethics Committee. The allegations aren’t just your garden-variety political scandal, either. We’re talking sexual misconduct, potential sex trafficking involvement, AND campaign finance violations all rolled into one neat little package.
That’s what we call the Democratic trifecta. Not the kind they brag about on MSNBC.
Now, for those keeping score at home, Gallego wasn’t just casually acquainted with Swalwell. He was Swalwell’s campaign chairman. His right-hand man. The guy who looked at Eric “Fang Fang” Swalwell — a man who was literally sleeping with a Chinese spy while sitting on the House Intelligence Committee — and said, “Yeah, I want to hitch my wagon to THAT guy.”
Great judgment, Senator. Really top-notch.
Remember the Fang Fang saga? That was the one where a suspected Chinese intelligence operative named Christine Fang infiltrated Swalwell’s inner circle, helped raise money for his campaigns, and allegedly had a romantic relationship with him. Swalwell was never punished. Nancy Pelosi let him keep his Intelligence Committee seat. The media buried the story faster than you can say “national security risk.”
Well, the sequel is here and it’s even worse than the original.
Luna has been methodical about this. She didn’t just fire off a tweet and call it a day. She compiled allegations, gathered documentation, and sent a formal referral through the proper channels. That’s how you do it when you’re serious about accountability instead of just generating cable news clips.
(Something Democrats could learn from, but won’t.)
The campaign finance angle is worth watching too. When you start pulling on that thread with politicians, you never know what falls out of the closet. Just ask Gold Bar Bob Menendez how that worked out for him. The feds found cash stuffed in his jacket pockets, gold bars hidden in his house, and enough evidence to send him to prison for the rest of his natural life.
Gallego’s situation may or may not reach Menendez levels of absurdity, but the Ethics Committee referral is real, it’s happening now, and it covers some extremely serious territory.
Here’s what makes this particularly delicious for those of us who have watched Democrats lecture the rest of the country about “believing all women” for the past decade. These are the same people who wanted to destroy Brett Kavanaugh over uncorroborated allegations from high school. They paraded Christine Blasey Ford in front of the Senate like she was Joan of Arc.
But when their own guys get accused? Crickets. Excuses. “Due process suddenly matters again.”
The Swalwell-Gallego connection is the part that should make every American’s blood pressure spike. Two guys, thick as thieves politically, both now facing allegations of sexual misconduct. One already resigned in disgrace. The other is sitting in the United States Senate pretending nothing is happening.
How many more are there? Because if the Democratic Party’s talent pipeline keeps producing guys like this, they might want to rethink their recruiting strategy.
We don’t know exactly where the Ethics Committee investigation will lead. These things can move slowly — Washington loves to drag its feet when the accused has a (D) next to their name. But the referral is on paper, Thune has confirmed it, and Luna isn’t going away.
Neither are these allegations.
Gallego can deny everything he wants. Swalwell denied everything too, right up until four women came forward and he bolted for the exit like his hair was on fire. Sometimes the pattern tells you everything you need to know.
Keep your eyes on this one. The Fang Fang saga just got a spinoff, and the pilot episode is ugly.