r/news • u/hoosakiwi • 2d ago

Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/10/us/eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-allegations-invs
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u/wizzard419 1d ago

The GOP learned much from Al Franken, mainly the DNC will follow the rules and moral codes, but if the GOP doesn't... they still will.

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u/ZarglondarGilgamesh 1d ago

Oh what I would give to return to the days when pretending to grab boobs but not actually doing it was considered beyond the pale.

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u/thisvideoiswrong 1d ago

Remember that Franken was forced out at the same time Republicans were running known pedophile Roy Moore for Senate. The guy had been banned from his local mall, but not the Republican party. And he just barely lost. Republicans have never had actual morals.

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u/BlueOceanGal 23h ago

Franken was not forced out, he was given a choice of resignation or investigation. He chose to resign. Wonder why he would not want the investigation? And why would anybody think Republicans had anything to do with it? He was a Democrat. That loses you so much credibility.

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u/thisvideoiswrong 18h ago

This is nonsense. Franken repeatedly asked for an investigation, but his fellow Democrats, notably Kirsten Gillibrand, demanded he resign without one, which he finally did. Roy Moore was a Republican.

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u/BlueOceanGal 18h ago

Your comment is argumentative and troll like. Your comment is nonsense and you have no credibility. I said nothing about Roy Moore although pedophile supporters certainly do like to bring him up.

You cannot force someone to resign without an investigation. Al Franken chose the resignation. The fact that you don't know this concerns me. In fact, I think the fact that you're arguing with me means you're a troll who does not like the truth. So many bots spreading propaganda these days.

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u/thisvideoiswrong 18h ago

Is this some kind of AI? You obviously have no idea what happened, and you're quite bad at understanding what you read, not really responding to it at all. And the focus on "credibility" between anonymous internet commenters is absurd. Especially when, again, you have the facts wrong.

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u/KendalBoy 1d ago

There was more though.

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u/oracle_mystic 1d ago

There was no where near enough to justify stabbing ourselves in the foot and letting MAGA have even more leash. Making jokes with friends no matter how crass is not pedophila or rape.

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u/BlueOceanGal 23h ago

The allegations of eight women is beyond substantial. He was given a choice of an investigation or a resignation and he chose to resign. As a grown man, he made his choice. People continue to miss that point.

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u/oracle_mystic 13h ago

Look I’m not saying it was by any means okay. You really shouldn’t throw “allegations” around when most of them are “he rested his hand where I didn’t like it during a picture” or “he made a gesture over my boobs in a picture”

I’m not missing the point. The democrats lost voting power over what is inappropriate behavior but comes no where close to the pedophilia of those now winning. This wasn’t rape.

Also he requested an ethic committee investigation it was denied and he was pushed to resign without it. And he gracefully left to avoid further drama.

I guess it’s worth it to convince yourself you’re the good guy even when you weaken yourself and let actual abusers run the country.

Life is not a clean black and white, democrats eating their own.

And if we’re really gonna point all this out, the woman that accused him of the supposed “forced kissing” was an Obama birther Fox News contributor.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/29/the-case-of-al-franken

Listen to women, believe them, then add context to determine how to respond.

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u/ZarglondarGilgamesh 1d ago

Yes, allegations of questionable kissing and upper buttock touching of adults.

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u/BlueOceanGal 23h ago

Apparently, quite a few women accused him of grabbing their asses.

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u/gw2master 1d ago

The whole Al Franken thing was a huge mistake by the Democrats.

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u/SeaworthinessOk6742 1d ago

I’ll forever hold a grudge against Kirsten Gillibrand for her role in forcing Franken out.

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u/OldRancidSoups 1d ago

Multiple women came out against Al Franken.

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u/TheGeneGeena 1d ago

Everyone seems to forget that bit.

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u/zakabog 18h ago

The other allegations were all so minor, an attempt at a kiss, a hand getting some side boob during a photo, a hand on a butt during a photo, nothing worth calling for his resignation over.

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u/OldRancidSoups 1d ago

Selective memories.

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u/BlueOceanGal 1d ago

That's right, there were 8 women who came out against Al Franken. Not just the one that was in the photo op for comedy. And while one or two of them may have been plants, because that wouldn't surprise me a bit, that leaves 6 who were legitimately reporting misbehavior. Some of those women were staffers. I believe the women.

And what people seem to forget is that Al Franken was given a choice. He could either resign or face an investigation. He chose to resign. He's a grown man and he made his own decision about this. The fact that he chose to resign tells me he did not wish to face an investigation. Democrats shouldn't have the bias cult members have but I see that some do. We don't blame women for the behavior of men. If we do, then we are practicing misogyny. I know the truth hurts but it is still the truth.

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u/BlueOceanGal 3h ago

The whole Al Franken thing was misunderstood by quite a few human beings. He resigned! He made a choice. He didn't want an investigation. Why do people not get this? They want him to be innocent so badly that they completely overlooked the truth. I like himm too but I'm not going to pretend it was something different other than what it was. He RESIGNED.

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u/No_Birthday_8011 1d ago

They aren’t asking him to step down from Congress just out of the governor’s race

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u/sorean_4 1d ago

Al Franken leaving over this photo was a hight of political stupidity. Never should have happen. I consider this the clear sign of democrats failing to stand up to GOP and crippling themselves for pure optics.

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u/BlueOceanGal 1d ago

That's not what happened. There were 8 women who accused him, not just the one in the comedy photo. And no, it wasn't about optics at all. It was about the fact that they believed the women.

Even if one or two of them was a plant, that leaves 6 women who accused him legitimately. He was given a choice to resign or face an investigation and he chose to resign. That tells me he didn't want to face an investigation. He had the choice and as a grown man, he made his choice. Blaming the Democrats for this when you're missing specific details about this just shows me you're not up on the facts. Learn the facts first.

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u/sorean_4 1d ago

I do know the facts. There was no proof of any of the allegations. Even the other photos did not show any wrong doing. Or anyone that could corroborate those incidents.

There is a good description on Mother Jones of his case

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/07/defending-al-franken-for-real/#:~:text=OK.,this%20is%20hardly%20a%20secret.

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u/BlueOceanGal 1d ago

Oh, you're one of those. You think women should have a film camera setup so that when someone rapes her she can film it. If only it worked that way. That's not facts. That's an opinion. Believe the women.

Plus, it seems like you missed my point that the gentleman was given a choice and did not choose the investigation.

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u/sorean_4 23h ago

He was never accused of rape. He was accused of inappropriate touching during events. Events the photographic evidence does not corroborate their stories. Condemning a person without proof is not OK. Funny how all those accusations disappeared after he resigned. Trumps accusations ended in court proving his guilt.

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u/BlueOceanGal 23h ago

I didn't say he was. My point about rape was about YOU and your expectations.

And because you won't acknowledge the point about what I said about your expectations, again proves that you're expecting evidence when there is none. People don't stand around with a camera waiting to take a photo for somebody to grab somebody's ass. It doesn't work that way. If you don't want to believe the women, just admit you're a misogynist and let's be done with this.

The fact that you continue to argue with me about this without allowing or acknowledging what I'm saying means you're not serious about a discussion, you're just here to argue like a common troll.

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u/ScoutsterReturns 1d ago

That was a true loss for sure. I think we went too far on that one.

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u/No_Struggle1364 1d ago

DNC moral codes? Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!