‘How Did You Not Know?’: Swalwell’s Best Dem Pal Tries To Convince Press He Was Clueless

Arizona Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego was pressed by a reporter Tuesday about his knowledge of sexual misconduct allegations involving former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell.

Swalwell announced his resignation from Congress Monday, one day after he ended his gubernatorial campaign, over allegations from multiple women were made public, including one from a former staffer accusing him of assaulting her on two occasions. Gallego, who served as chairman of Swalwell’s failed 2020 presidential bid and has been described by Swalwell as his “best friend,” faced questions from reporters about the allegations and his initial defense of Swalwell.

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“We knew each other differently from everyone else. My family and his family were as close as it gets, our kids were in baseball camp together,” Gallego told reporters. “You know, we, we had dinner together as a family. It, it was entirely different, but I think what people understand… when there was rumors going around a couple of weeks ago, not of the folks or whatever in San Francisco Chronicle, I did ask him, and he lied to me.”