Sen. Ruben Gallego alleges Eric Swalwell 'lied' and 'betrayed' him, says he never saw inappropriate behavior

CongressSen. Ruben Gallego alleges Eric Swalwell 'lied' and 'betrayed' him, says he never saw inappropriate behaviorThe Arizona Democrat said their close friendship "clouded" his judgment about rumors that Swalwell engaged in inappropriate behavior.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleSen. Gallego: Swalwell 'lied to all of us' and friendship 'clouded my judgment'02:09Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 14, 2026, 4:34 PM EDTBy Rebecca ShabadSen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said Tuesday that his close friendship with Rep. Eric Swalwell obscured his judgment about rumors that the California Democrat had engaged in potentially inappropriate behavior with women over the years.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content."My friendship with him, our family’s friendship together with him, clouded my judgment, and I was wrong — I deeply, deeply regret that," Gallego told reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill.Gallego said he called the news conference to reject any suggestions that he was aware of Swalwell's alleged sexual misconduct toward women. The Democratic senator, who previously served in the House with Swalwell for a decade, said he had "no knowledge of predatory behavior, sexual assault, or harassment" that have been alleged against the married father of three.The senator acknowledged that he had heard for "many years" that Swalwell was "just a flirty, social guy," but only recently asked him about the misconduct allegations after they surfaced."My family and his family were as close as it gets," Gallego told reporters in explaining why he trusted the House member. "Our kids were in baseball camp together. We had dinner together as a family."But Gallego said that when rumors about sexual misconduct were circulating several weeks ago — before the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday about a former Swalw...