Two of the women who accused California Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct say they feel “vindicated” by his resignation from Congress, but believe “there needs to be another reckoning.”
CBS News released a sit-down interview on Tuesday with Annika Albrecht and Ally Sammarco, both of whom alleged that Swalwell behaved inappropriately with them, as well as Cheyenne Hunt, an influencer who helped bring the allegations to light. This past Sunday, the politician formally dropped out of California’s gubernatorial race. A day later, he announced his intent to resign from his state Congressional seat.
“He was pushed into a corner, essentially, because they were planning to expel him… so I think he did that to save face a little,” Sammarco told CBS News’ Nancy Cordes. “But I also felt very vindicated that he realized it was over for him.”
“For me, justice won’t be until he can’t ever harm a woman ever again, and he has faced the consequences for the women that he has harmed,” Albrecht added. Hunt echoed that sentiment.
“This fight is not over. We’re just getting started,” the politically minded influencer told CBS News. “It’s clear that there needs to be another reckoning.”
Both Albrecht and Sammarco have accused Swalwell of positioning himself as a potential political mentor to them, only to end up sending them inappropriate, sexually aggressive messages on Snapchat, including a nude photo of his penis. Albrecht has further alleged that Swalwell invited her to a hotel to meet him one night and that it was “very clear what the connotation was,” but that she did not respond to his offer.
“I keep thinking about how lucky I am that I didn’t go to that hotel,” she told CBS News, in reference to at least one report of a woman waking up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed with no recollection of how she got there after getting drinks the night before. After Hunt posted a video detailing Albrecht’s allegations, the influencer told CBS News she was “immediately slammed” with messages from over 30 other women with similar allegations against Swalwell, including one account of an alleged “full-on assault.”
Swalwell has denied the accusations against him and vowed to fight the “false allegations,” though he did admit to making “mistakes.” He has further claimed this is part of a politically motivated effort to hurt his bid to fill California’s governor seat. However, Albrecht and Sammarco vehemently deny that accusation.
“We didn’t know each other before. I didn’t know any of the other women,” Sammarco told CBS News. “I knew nothing about them. We got connected through this process, and I’m so glad we did.” Albrecht added that she felt motivated to reach out to Hunt after the idea of Swalwell becoming California Governor made her “physically sick and nauseous.”
“He thought he was untouchable. He acted with total impunity. He never thought that the consequences of his actions would follow him,” Sammarco said of the congressman. “I think we just prevented another 30 to 40 years, potentially, of him harming people if he were to stay in Congress.”
“As governor, he would have had even more power and more authority. And he would have felt vindicated too, you know, that he could run for higher office,” she continued. “He ran for president and nothing came out about him. So I think that empowered him to continue doing what he was doing.” Hunt, meanwhile, said that she was warned about Swalwell years ago.
The influencer alleges she was told by others, “Stay away from Swalwell. Do not engage with him on social media. Do not be alone with him.”
“He gave off this perception that he was a family man. That he was a fighter. That he was a defender of women. And that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Sammarco said of the politician. “If these are the people that are out there championing women and, you know, protectors of women, ‘We need to hold people accountable,’ and then behind closed doors they’re doing this, that is a huge discrepancy for anybody who’s working in politics.”
While Swalwell has announced his intention to resign from Congress, Albrecht told CBS News his Monday statement left open the possibility of remaining in his seat for an indefinite period of time. “I want to see him out now,” she noted.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed to CBS News it is investigating the allegations against Swalwell detailed in a San Francisco Chronicle story about a former staffer for the congressman who claims she was sexually assaulted by him in California and New York. Swalwell has denied said allegations and threatened to take legal action against the former staffer.
Hunt told CBS News the alleged “full-on assault” she was informed about is separate from the one being investigated by the Manhattan DA’s office.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell explained on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”
