2 Swalwell accusers discuss his downfall and the fear of coming forward

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Two women who person accused Rep. Eric Swalwell of misconduct told CBS News that, portion they consciousness "vindicated" present that helium has dropped his bid to go California's adjacent governor and volition resign from his spot successful Congress, determination is inactive enactment to beryllium done.

"He was pushed into a corner, essentially, due to the fact that they were planning to expel him…so one deliberation helium did that to prevention look a little," Ally Sammarco, whose accusations were archetypal elaborate successful a CNN report, told CBS News. "But I besides felt precise vindicated that helium realized it was implicit for him."

Annika Albrecht, who is publically coming guardant arsenic an accuser for the archetypal time, said, "For me, justness won't beryllium until helium can't ever harm a pistillate ever again, and helium has faced the consequences for the women that helium has harmed."

Swalwell's governmental ambitions person unraveled successful caller days arsenic he's been accused by aggregate women of intersexual misconduct, including allegations of intersexual battle and sending unsolicited explicit messages and nude photos. The Democratic congressman announced Monday that helium volition beryllium resigning from Congress, 1 time aft helium said helium was dropping retired of the California gubernatorial race.

Swalwell has vowed to combat what helium called the "false allegations" and has claimed they were politically motivated to wounded his gubernatorial bid.

Albrecht and Sammarco vehemently contradict immoderate accusations they were portion of a coordinated run from a rival campaigner oregon party.

"We didn't cognize each different before. I didn't cognize immoderate of the different women," Sammarco said. "I knew thing astir them. We got connected done this process, and I'm truthful gladsome we did."

That process started astir 2 weeks ago, erstwhile Albrecht says she contacted Cheyenne Hunt, an influencer and person of galore years, asking her to stock a video with her communicative astir Swalwell. She said she felt compelled to bash truthful due to the fact that she felt "physically sick and nauseous" astatine the thought of Swalwell becoming politician of California.

"Eleven days is however agelong it took from erstwhile I reached retired to [Cheyenne] to marque the video to erstwhile the dam broke and each the articles were published," Albrecht said, calling them "the longest 11 days of our lives."

Hunt told CBS News that aft posting the video, she was "immediately slammed" with messages from different women accusing Swalwell of inappropriate behavior, and she was connected the telephone with immoderate of them wrong 2 hours.

Hunt said 1 of the women described a "full-on assault. That was erstwhile I realized this was a batch bigger than immoderate of america knew," and was a "different level of severity."

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed to CBS News connected Sunday that it is investigating allegations against Swalwell aft the San Francisco Chronicle published a story detailing an unnamed erstwhile staffer's accusations of intersexual battle successful California and successful New York. Swalwell denied it and threatened to instrumentality ineligible enactment against the woman.

Hunt told CBS News the alleged battle she was told astir is abstracted from the 1 being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

"He thought helium was untouchable. He acted with full impunity. He ne'er thought that the consequences of his actions would travel him," Sammarco said.

"I deliberation we conscionable prevented different 30 to 40 years, potentially, of him harming radical if helium were to enactment successful Congress," she said.

"As governor, helium would person had adjacent much powerfulness and much authority. And helium would person felt vindicated too, you know, that helium could tally for higher office," she added. " He ran for president and thing came retired astir him. So I deliberation that empowered him to proceed doing what helium was doing."

Both Albrecht and Sammarco told CBS News they had had akin interactions with Swalwell.

Sammarco said she met Swalwell successful 2021, erstwhile she was 24 and moving successful an introduction level relation connected a governmental run for erstwhile Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

She said she messaged Swalwell connected Twitter due to the fact that they had akin upbringings - some grew up successful homes with Republican parents. She figured helium wouldn't adjacent spot her message, but says helium responded "fairly quickly" and the 2 continued messaging each different implicit the adjacent time earlier moving to substance messages, which CBS News has reviewed.

In the messages, helium said helium wanted to assistance her further her vocation successful politics, and the 2 kept successful touch. "I felt similar a cardinal bucks" she said, adding, "I was thrilled, and I was flattered."

Sammarco said Swalwell yet began to nonstop her messages that "I thought had a weird connotation to them," but she said she "trusted that helium was an established fig who wouldn't enactment his credibility connected the line."

Eventually, helium asked her to pass via Snapchat, a messaging app that deletes messages aft they're sent. She said she thought it was antithetic for a antheral successful his 40s who was joined and had children to beryllium utilizing specified an app, but she was acrophobic of perchance losing specified an important nonrecreational connection.

She said the messages again started retired nonrecreational and platonic but past dilatory became much explicit.

"He was sending maine photos of his face….he was drinking successful a batch of them. He would inquire maine if I was drinking excessively oregon archer maine I should person a portion with him," she said. Sammarco said helium ne'er straight asked her to nonstop him immoderate explicit pictures of her, but that 1 nighttime helium sent her a photograph of his penis.

"I was shocked," she said.

She told CBS News, "I don't deliberation I responded," and said helium changed the taxable and moved on.

Albrecht says she met Swalwell portion connected a people travel successful college. She and a radical of different students met with him to sermon issues they thought were important, and Swalwell appeared funny and passionate, she said.

At the extremity of the meeting, she says helium asked the students to make a radical chat truthful helium could proceed discussing the issues with them. Albrecht said aft that radical chat was created, helium added her connected Snapchat astir immediately.

"I was truly surprised. I was confused. I didn't deliberation it was him," she said. Albrecht said she asked the others successful the radical if Swalwell had besides added them arsenic contacts connected Snapchat, but they said helium had not. Albrecht added that she was the lone pistillate successful the group.

Albrecht, similar Sammarco, besides dreamed of moving successful politics, and said Swalwell began talking to her "under the guise of nonrecreational mentorship," telling her helium could assistance her execute her imagination occupation of 1 time becoming a main of staff.

She said the Snapchat messages "started to instrumentality a crook and they started to get flirty," but she responded successful a "platonic and nonrecreational manner." Eventually, she said, Swalwell's messages crossed the enactment into "sexually inappropriate."

Albrecht said 1 night, Swalwell invited her to a edifice to conscionable him, and it was "very wide what the connotation was." She says she didn't respond.

"I support reasoning astir however fortunate I americium that didn't spell to that hotel," Albrecht said, referring to the Chronicle's study detailing the accusation of a pistillate who said that aft going retired for drinks with Swalwell successful September 2019, she woke up bare successful his edifice furniture with small recollection of the night, which Swallwell denies.

"It was terrifying to get connected the telephone with those women and perceive their stories astir however they were drinking with him and abruptly woke up successful furniture adjacent to him with nary recollection of however they got there," Albrecht said.

Hunt says she has heard akin accusations from 2 women, and that much than 30 women person reached retired to her with immoderate signifier of misconduct accusation against Swalwell since she posted her archetypal video.

Hunt besides recalled however she was warned astir Swalwell done a susurration web years agone erstwhile she was moving connected Capitol Hill, telling CBS News that radical told her, "Stay distant from Swalwell. Do not prosecute with him connected societal media. Do not beryllium unsocial with him."

But portion Swalwell is acceptable to exit Congress, determination is inactive immoderate trepidation.

"I privation to spot him retired now," Albrecht said, noting his connection announcing his resignation leaves unfastened the anticipation helium could stay successful his spot for a while.

"He gave disconnected this cognition that helium was a household man. That helium was a fighter. That helium was a defender of women. And that couldn't beryllium further from the truth," Sammarco said of Swalwell.

"If these are the radical that are retired determination championing women and, you know, protectors of women, and 'We request to clasp radical accountable,' and past down closed doors they're doing this, that is simply a immense discrepancy for anybody who's moving successful politics," she added.

Hunt said the women who person travel guardant person "been embraced and that their bravery is being truthful greatly respected."

But "this combat is not over. We're conscionable getting started," she said, adding, "It's wide that determination needs to beryllium different reckoning."

Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.

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