Ruben Gallego Is Still Trying to Run Away From Eric Swalwell, and It’s Still Not Working – RedState
We haven’t heard much from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) over the past two weeks, likely because investigations continue into the disturbing sexual assault allegations that were made against him earlier this month, allegations that resulted in his withdrawal from the California gubernatorial race and his resignation from Congress.
Someone else we haven’t heard much about beyond social media posts is Swalwell’s best friend (now former?), Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), whose well-documented bromance was legend in Democratic political circles on Capitol Hill. At one point, they were roommates in Washington and took trips abroad with their respective wives, including one to Qatar, where they (Swalwell and Gallego) infamously posed for cringe-worthy shirtless photos while riding camels.
Hmm. I seem to remember Ruben Gallego and his boy Eric Swalwell riding camels on a trip to Qatar. When they closed American businesses during the pandemic.https://t.co/6JCmtKzolH https://t.co/2hLZJQcbsK pic.twitter.com/io4UhTuLrj
– Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) May 12, 2025
SEE ALSO: ‘I’m just asking questions’: All eyes turn to Swalwell’s best friend, Sen. Ruben Gallego, as scrutiny intensifies
As RedState previously reported, when the story of the sexual harassment allegations first broke, Gallego’s first instinct was to try to sow doubt. However, as the week went on, Gallego, who was also chairman of Swalwell’s failed 2020 presidential campaign, began to change his tune, saying he believed the women who accused his best friend of rape. He later launched into a “deer in the headlights” when asked if he had ever spotted suspicious behavior.
Gallego’s responses were to suggest that Swalwell was living a “double life” and that he had no idea beyond a “flirtation” that he had heard about but didn’t believe, a rather convenient assertion given that as of November 2025, Swalwell was affectionately referring to Gallego as an extremely close friend, calling him his “best friend in the world”, a statement which Gallego embraced without objection.
RELATED: Senator Ruben Gallego suddenly seems panicked for some reason
When we last checked, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) had brought allegations of a “sexual nature” against Gallego himself (and which Luna said may have included an element of human trafficking) to Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who in turn said he had forwarded them to the Senate Ethics Committee for investigation.
Gallego has denied any wrongdoing, saying without evidence through a spokesperson that the allegations were “right-wing conspiracy theories parroted by a far-right fringe member of Congress.” Interestingly, this sounded eerily similar to how Swalwell had initially characterized the allegations against himself.
In an update to this story, it turns out Gallego is still trying to flee Swalwell. And it looks like it still isn’t working, as he’s now been caught not being upfront about how often he’s hung out or associated with Swalwell in recent years:
NEW Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego Caught in LIE About Eric Swalwell
Claims he was ‘missing’ and ‘missing’ from Swalwell after 2021
(Also, the allegations start in 2018)
FALSE – Receipts: pic.twitter.com/V9TxpHhmME
– Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) April 28, 2026
YES 🚨 @RubenGallego I just said it @AnaNavarro he didn’t know @EricSwalwell because he was “missing” and “absent” since 2021
Here are just SOME of Gallego’s interactions and vacations with Swalwell from ’21 to ’23
SOURCE: https://t.co/d3CSKSosEjhttps://t.co/CrGVqfKwUZ pic.twitter.com/PSIzG2gZdw
–Brian Anderson (@AZBrianAnderson) April 28, 2026
There was also the November 2025 event, as we noted earlier.
If Ruben Gallego has nothing to hide, why does he seem to be fudging the details of his time with Swalwell over the past few years?
On top of all that, Luna now claims that four women have alleged sexual misconduct by Gallego. She even claimed that there was a reporter, who Luna said received text messages from Gallego that were “very sexually explicit and inappropriate,” and she hopes the reporter will come forward.
🚨 HOLY S-HT- Anna Paulina-Luna Says “It’s All Just Rumors” – (4) Women Filed Sexual Misconduct Claims by Ruben Gallego
Advances, inappropriate comments, Gallego took his own earwax and rubbed it on one of these women
LOAD IT pic.twitter.com/PIrc6DDiXH
– @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) April 27, 2026
I have now heard of 4 women who received multiple uncomfortable/inappropriate advances/comments/touches, etc. from Senator Gallego. This is not made up and the Senate remains woefully silent about it. https://t.co/LcYivkWHwC
– Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) April 23, 2026
Like Luna, we are of course only asking questions and awaiting information and possible next steps, if any, from the ethics committee as it reviews the claims. For what it’s worth, Gallego met with them Friday after Luna referenced referring the case to Thune in a CBS News interview.
As always, stay tuned.
For a complete timeline of Gallego and Swalwell’s friendship over the years, click here.
Editor’s note: The 2026 midterm elections will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both houses of Congress.
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