Reports say Eric Swalwell spoke at a gun-control gala in New York, and a former staffer later accused him of sexual assault; event materials and video were removed after inquiries.
Stand Your Ground laws let a person use deadly force when facing a “forcible felony” that threatens serious injury, and rape is explicitly one of those felonies. That legal reality sits odd next to a crowd that favors strict gun limits while promoting the idea that victims should be rendered defenseless. The clash between self-defense law and anti-gun advocacy is stark when allegations like these surface.
The allegations against Eric Swalwell are severe and varied: claims include inappropriate relationships, reports of sexual harassment of staffers, and accusations of sexual assault. His earlier entanglement with a Chinese national who worked as an alleged spy has also been widely reported and remains part of the public record. Taken together, those reports paint a picture that helps explain why many see his public anti-gun stance as hypocritical.
One of the accusations centers on an incident that allegedly occurred after Swalwell appeared at a gun-control event in Manhattan. The event in question, the Brady Action Awards, drew public figures and entertainers, and the presence of a high-profile guest speaker in that setting amplified attention when the allegation surfaced. Soon after, some promotional material and footage tied to the evening were removed from public channels.
Disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell allegedly raped a former staffer in New York City after taking the stage at an anti-gun violence gala he attended with the victim, The Post has learned.
Swalwell and his former aide were guests at the annual Brady Action Awards in Midtown on April 25, 2024, where the congressman was a guest speaker among other dignitaries, according to sources and a CNN report.
Swalwell was listed among the “awardees, special guests, and host committee members” at the event, held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan and hosted by director Judd Apatow.
After The Post reached out to the Brady organization seeking comment, the press release listing Swalwell alongside other luminaries including Sen. Chuck Schumer, actor Bradley Whitford and comedian W. Kamau Bell was conspicuously taken offline.
Video of the event was also completely scrubbed from the anti-gun advocacy group’s YouTube page, which left the streams of the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025 events available for viewing at the time of writing.
That removal of materials only feeds suspicion. When organizations take down records after questions are raised, people naturally wonder whether the deletions hide inconvenient facts or were simply poor housekeeping. Either way, the sudden vanishing of a press release and event video looks bad for everyone involved, and it undercuts confidence in the group’s handling of the incident.
There’s also a broader cultural angle: some male activists who push for stricter gun rules often anchor their argument in a desire for public safety, yet their posture can come across as a vote to make others less able to defend themselves. Critics say that position conveniently ignores the reality that predators seek out disarmed targets, and that contradiction becomes harder to ignore when allegations involve people who publicly lobby to disarm the public.
I’m not endorsing vigilante justice or broad calls for violence; the point is about self-defense. In situations where an attacker threatens serious harm, armed self-defense can stop a criminal and prevent further victims. Suggesting that victims should be unarmed in the face of violent predators is tone-deaf at best and dangerous at worst.
The irony in this story is sharp: an evening billed as a stand against gun violence, attended by celebrities and politicians, is now tied to an accusation of sexual violence. That juxtaposition has a moral clarity to it that is hard to miss—advocating for disarmament while a serious allegation involving one of your speakers emerges right after the event.
If any victim at that event had been armed and able to defend herself legally, the arithmetic of harm might have changed. Defensive force, when used lawfully, can be the difference between a single alleged attack and multiple victims. That practical reality is why many conservatives argue for preserving the right to self-defense rather than empowering policies that leave people exposed.
