General Discussion

The Chronicle is not identifying the woman in this story in compliance with its policy against naming alleged victims of sexual assault. Reporters looking into the broader allegations against Swalwell reached her while contacting dozens of his former staffers.

The woman began speaking with a Chronicle reporter last month as she considered whether to make her allegations public. When rumors about Swalwell’s conduct began circulating online, the woman said she was confused because she had told only a small circle of family and close friends about what had happened to her. She said she was “petrified” that Swalwell had told people about their encounters or that her name had appeared in an opposition research file compiled by a rival campaign.

She said she called the Swalwell campaign in late March to find out whether her name had surfaced among rumored victims. A staffer on the campaign, she said, asked her to vouch for Swalwell.

She said the staffer asked her whether Swalwell had ever been inappropriate with her, and then, when she hesitated to answer, said, “Actually, I don’t want to know.” When the campaign staffer told her that Swalwell was not afraid of the rumors because he had not done anything inappropriate, the woman said she felt determined to speak out.