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(SAN FRANCISCO) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell announced he is suspending his California governor’s race campaign after accusations made by a former staffer to the San Francisco Chronicle that he sexually assaulted her, which the congressman has denied.

It comes amid a growing push from his party to not only get out of the race, but to resign from Congress.

“I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote in a post to X Sunday night.

“I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s,” he wrote.

The San Francisco Chronicle published the account of a woman, who it did not identify, who says she was hired at the age of 21 to work as an intern in Swalwell’s district office.

She claims Swalwell began pursuing her and sent her a nude photo. In 2019, she went out for drinks with Swalwell and woke up naked the next morning in Swalwell’s hotel bed and “felt the effect of vaginal intercourse,” according to the article.

The woman alleges that five years later, at a gala in New York, when she was no longer working for him, Swalwell pursued her while she was inebriated and forced himself on her, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In the wake of the accusations, at least four other women have detailed allegations that range from sexual assault to inappropriate conduct by Swalwell. ABC News has not been able to corroborate all of the alleged accounts, including those reported by The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.

ABC News spoke with Ally Sammarco, who accused the lawmaker of sending her inappropriate messages and an unsolicited nude picture of himself in 2021.

Sammarco, a social media content creator who said she was 24 at the time she met Swalwell, told ABC News that she was working on Terry McAuliffe’s race, as he was running to be governor of Virginia, and was looking for a job on Capitol Hill.

She says she sent the congressman a direct message on Twitter in August of 2021, asking about his upbringing growing up in a Republican family.

She says they spoke about the race in Virginia, and then Swalwell gave Sammarco his personal cell number, where she says he started to ask her “more personal questions.”

In September 2021, she says they began messaging on Snapchat, where she said he offered to help send her resume and find a job. He invited her to his office on Capitol Hill, according to text messages reviewed by ABC News.

She says he initially said she could meet his staff, but when she arrived, she said he escorted her in his office, and she “didn’t meet anybody but him.”

Sammarco told ABC News that sometime in October of 2021, Swalwell allegedly sent her an unsolicited picture of his penis. 

She said the alleged photo made her feel “gross” and that he was “pushing a sexual agenda.”

In a video posted to social media late Friday evening, Swalwell called allegations made against him “flat false. They’re absolutely false.”

“They did not happen. They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have,” he said.

Swalwell did not address the allegations in detail in the video statement.

Fellow Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, also from California, called the allegations against Swalwell “sick and disgusting.”

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., told CNN’s “State of the Union,” “The accusations are absolutely heinous, and his admissions betraying his family are deplorable. So Eric Swalwell needs to resign. He needs to drop out of the race.”

Vindman emphasized the need to hold leaders accountable, regardless of party or stature.

“And we have grown far too accustomed to having our senior leaders, our elected officials, uh, fall far below what we expect their behavior to be morally, ethically … And Representative Swalwell needs to go,” Vindman said.

The top three House Democrats, including Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have called on Swalwell to end his bid for governor.

“Following the incredibly disturbing sexual assault accusations against Congressman Eric Swalwell, we call for a swift investigation into these incidents and for the Congressman to immediately end his campaign to be California’s next Governor,” Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement released Friday.

Pressed Sunday on whether Swalwell should resign, Jeffries told CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, “Our statement for the moment speaks for itself. We’ll reconvene in Washington early next week and we’ll have more to say.”

In his Friday video, Swalwell said the allegations “come on the eve of an election where I have been the frontrunner candidate” and cited his career as a public servant and prosecutor who went to court for sexual assault victims, he said.

“I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint,” he said. “I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife and to her I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”

Fellow Democrats started calling for Swalwell to drop his gubernatorial campaign shortly after news of the allegations broke.

In a statement, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability. As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., who chaired Swalwell’s campaign for governor, announced that he was stepping down from the campaign and referred to the accusations as “the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable.”

“I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately,” Gomez said. “The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”

Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who had in recent days defended Swalwell from online rumors of misconduct, posted Friday that he was withdrawing his endorsement and said that he “regret[s] having come to his defense on social media.”

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also said he is pulling his endorsement “immediately” and called on Swalwell to withdraw.

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said Saturday that she plans to force a vote next week to expel Swalwell if he does not resign.

“Eric has an option. I am going to bring this vote next week. If Democrats want to protect this type of garbage, I wouldn’t recommend it, but they are going to put on the board for that. I am tired of this,” Luna said on Fox News.

Swalwell added that he is willing to pursue legal action to combat the accusations.

“I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies,” Swalwell said.

In the wake of the Chronicle’s reporting, several of Swalwell’s Democratic opponents in the governor’s race, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and former State Controller Betty Yee have also called on Swalwell to drop out of the race.

The two frontrunners in the race, billionaire businessman Tom Steyer and former Congresswoman Katie Porter, expressed support for the alleged victim but stopped short of calling on Swalwell to drop out of the race.

Earlier this week, Swalwell’s campaign told ABC News that Swalwell has not received any complaints and has not asked anyone to sign non-disclosure agreements.

“This false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race,” campaign spokesperson Micah Beasley said in a statement provided to ABC News on Tuesday.

“In 13 years, no one in Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office has ever been asked to sign an NDA. Ever,” Beasley said. “In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged. Ever.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating allegations against Swalwell, a source familiar with the investigation said Saturday.

“We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373,” the Manhattan DA’s office said. “Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators, and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”

Swalwell’s campaign has not responded to a request for comment. An attorney representing Swalwell said “no comment” on Saturday.

House ethics rules prohibit sexual relationships between members and interns or staffers but the House cannot investigate an incident occurring more than three terms of Congress ago.

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(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said Sunday he was not surprised that peace talks between the U.S. and Iran stalled over the weekend, and that securing U.S. goals in Iran could be a “long-term project.”

“I’m not surprised at all,” Johnson told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “The ayatollahs, even though they have been so degraded in terms of their capabilities, nobody thought this would be easy. They’ve been preparing for this for 47 years.”

Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad ended over the weekend after Vice President JD Vance said Iran would not agree not to seek a nuclear weapon, a key sticking point for President Donald Trump and his administration.

But just before the peace efforts failed, Trump told reporters that he did not care if the U.S. made a deal with Iran, saying that the U.S. would win either way. But as the fate of the war remained uncertain Sunday, Johnson said that the job was not finished in Iran.

“We will not have won until we have completely defanged the Iranian regime,” Johnson said. “There’s multiple ways of potentially doing it. Short-term, long-term there are multiple avenues we can approach here. But we have not yet finished the job.”

Johnson later added that he did not think preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon would require ground troops, but he also emphasized the need to remove Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which others have speculated would require ground troops.

Another sticking point for both countries was control over the Strait of Hormuz, critical to the world’s oil traffic. Iran’s blockade of the strait has sent global oil prices skyrocketing, leading to higher gas prices in the U.S.

Johnson raised the possibility Sunday that the U.S. could block oil coming from the strait from going to China or Russia, as reports have emerged saying the two countries may be helping Iran in the war.

On Sunday morning, Trump announced on his social media platform a blockade of all traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote.

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(WASHINGTON) — A senior adviser to first lady Melania Trump, Marc Beckman, said she wanted to “set the record straight” when she delivered her surprise statement at the White House denying any ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Beckman elaborated on the first lady’s decision to publicly address the Epstein controversy during an appearance Friday morning on “Fox & Friends.”

“If she can’t stick up for herself, if she can’t defend herself and make sure that her reputation is impeccable, who will do it? Nobody’s done it to date,” Beckman said.

“She’s ready to fight,” he added.

The press was not given advance notice on the topic of the first lady’s Thursday remarks, in which she said she never had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and that she had no relationship with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, his co-conspirator who was convicted of sex trafficking.

The first lady also called for public hearings into the Epstein controversy and to allow survivors to testify before Congress if they wish to do so.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Melania Trump said.

A spokesperson for the first lady’s office said the West Wing was aware she would make a statement.

But sources told ABC News that White House officials were caught off guard by the topic of her address, with some questioning why she was commenting on the subject now.

President Donald Trump said he did not know the first lady was going to make a statement today about Epstein, according to an MS Now reporter who said she had a brief phone interview with the president.

Asked by ABC News for clarification, a spokesperson for the first lady directed any questions about Trump’s knowledge about her statement to the West Wing. But the White House has said any questions related to the statement should come from her office.

President Trump has tried to shift focus away from the Epstein controversy, repeatedly calling it a “Democratic hoax.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a recent interview, said the Epstein files matter “should not be a part of anything going forward” at the Department of Justice.

Beckman was asked on “Fox & Friends” why Melania Trump decided to come forward at this moment.

“First, enough is enough. This has been ongoing and it’s time for the public to refocus their attention on what achievements our first lady has done,” Beckman said, pointing to her foster care and education initiatives.

Beckman echoed the first lady’s comments that fake images and stories about her and Epstein have circulated for years, prompting her to come out and address them — despite headlines in recent weeks moving on from the Epstein files.

“The first lady accomplished three things yesterday as it relates to the disgraceful Epstein,” he said. “First, she cleared her record. She set the record straight. She debunked all of the lies surrounding her and Epstein. Second, she became a champion for these women, for the victims. Finally, third, she is a real leader in Washington, D.C. She is calling on Congress to act now.”

ABC News asked the White House if the president agrees with the first lady that Epstein’s victims should testify before Congress but has not gotten a response.

A group of 13 Epstein survivors and the brother and sister-in-law of another accused the first lady of “shifting the burden onto survivors,” rather than pushing for accountability.

“Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs,” they said.

ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris kept the door open on a possible third presidential run, saying that she’s “thinking about it,” eliciting cheers from a majority of the crowd at the National Action Network Convention on Friday.

“Listen, I might, I might. I’m thinking about it, I’m thinking about it,” Harris responded when Rev. Al Sharpton, during their chat at the New York City convention he hosts, flatly asked her if she’s planning to run again.

Harris, who said she has spent the last year traveling parts of the country, said that the status quo in government and politics is not working.

“I’ve been traveling the country the last year, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the South and many other places, and the one thing I’m really clear about, also, is the status quo is not working, and hasn’t been working for a lot of people for a long time, and part of the issue is the need to get rid of some of the bureaucracy in government and to understand that the people want — they don’t want process, they want progress. And that’s the work that needs to be done,” Harris said.

During her discussion with Sharpton, Harris was met with different chants during her remarks, including “run again.”

The National Action Network Convention is expected to be the biggest gathering of possible Democratic 2028 presidential hopefuls with appearances by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Mark Kelly and Rep. Ro Khanna.

Nearly all of the hopefuls have either expressed interest or have not shut down the idea about running for president.

So far, many potential presidential candidates have discussed the Iran war as they have chatted with Sharpton during the four-day convention — including Harris.

On Friday, she rebuked Trump’s handling of the Iran war and said that he has deteriorated America’s relationship with foreign allies, leading the country to lose its global standing.

“Let us understand, first of all, this president is the first president of the United States since World War II who does not believe in the alliances that we have with friendly nations, does not believe in the strength of them, the recognition of the history with them, and the importance that that relationship bears on our standing around the world, our influence around the world, not to mention our national security,” Harris said.

Harris said that under Trump’s second term, America is losing its global influence, and it will take “serious” work to regain it.

As Trump has maintained that the U.S. “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program last June, Harris seemed to say that the war in Iran is evidence that it did not actually happen.

“The man said he got rid of their nuclear arsenal. ‘Obliterated’ it he said, you know how he likes to use those kind of words, ‘obliterated’ it, which is not an ambiguous term — that means you took it out,” Harris said. “Well, evidently he didn’t do that.”

Harris is set to take part in fundraisers for Democrats across the South this spring, turning her focus to helping the party win next fall during the midterm elections as her book tour winds down.

Her April schedule includes fundraisers for the North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia Democratic parties, and remarks at the Arkansas Democratic Party’s annual dinner.

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