Former Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell (Calif.) was once known as âthe Snapchat king of Congress.â Now, heâs accused of using the same medium to send sexual messages to several women.
These messages allegedly include âvideos of him masturbating,â CNNreported.
The media outlet spoke to âmore than a dozenâ women who said Swalwell made them uncomfortable â both in person and online.
Several women said he sent them sexually explicit messages on Snapchat after he became âone of the first lawmakers to join Snapchat.â At that time, he was called âthe Snapchat king of Congress,â according to CNN.
âWe can restore a lot of faith that people have in their democracy by opening it up a little bit more,â Swalwell told The Hill in 2016. âSnapchat is a great way to do that.â
But he allegedly found other ways to use Snapchat.
One woman claimed Swalwell would send her Snapchat messages about her future and would then ask, âWhat are you wearing?â
Two other women told CNN Swalwell sent them âsexually explicit messages and unsolicited nude photos and videos of himselfâ in 2021. Another woman also claimed he sent âsexually tinged messages and videos.â
One former congressional staffer allegedly had a consensual sexual relationship with Swalwell after he began flirting with her on Snapchat in 2021.
Swalwell reportedly sent ânude photos of himself and videos of him masturbating. These videos showed his âface and naked body.â
The videos, which were saved by the woman, were shown to CNN.
âHis stories would be his, like, congressional content, but then he would be sending me dick pics,â she alleged. She said Swalwell sent her another âexplicit videoâ late last year, a few weeks before he announced his 2026 California gubernatorial campaign.
In another case, Swalwell allegedly wrote a letter of recommendation for a woman he had never met after sending her Snapchat messages about her âsexy pajamas.â
Clara Miklaucic was 19 years old and working as a restaurant hostess at the time when Swalwell tracked her down on LinkedIn.
He then sent her flirty messages and offered to write a letter of recommendation. He told her her name was âbeautifulâ after speaking with her for less than 15 minutes while dining at the restaurant in 2021.
âI remember being surprised getting a message from him since I didnât give him any information, other than probably my first name,â she told CNN. âHe was literally over double my age.â
According to the report, another woman told CNN she reminded Swalwell he was âmarried with three kidsâ after he added her on Snapchat and âsuggested that they hang out.â
After CNN reached out to Swalwellâs lawyer for comment, Swalwell allegedly confronted several women for taking screenshots of his messages.
