{"id":4203,"date":"2026-07-11T08:06:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T08:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4203"},"modified":"2026-07-11T08:06:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T08:06:45","slug":"exclusive-eric-swalwells-attorneys-threatened-tom-steyer-campaign-just-before-scandal-erupted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4203","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Eric Swalwell\u2019s attorneys threatened Tom Steyer campaign just before scandal erupted"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Eric Swalwell launched a campaign of threats and intimidation to stop the sordid details of his alleged rape and sexual assaults from being spread wide.<\/p>\n

Read more Taylor Swift is pretty in pink at JuJu Smith-Schuster\u2019s wedding one week after marrying Travis Kelce<\/a><\/p>\n

Records obtained by The California Post show the disgraced politician used a team of high-powered lawyers to fire off legal threats to a rival campaign in an effort to suppress rape and sexual assault allegations \u2014 just weeks before his own campaign imploded over those same claims.<\/p>\n

Attorneys representing Swalwell\u2019s gubernatorial campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter on March 20 to Ryan Hughes \u2014 general counsel for progressive billionaire Tom Steyer\u2019s campaign \u2014 accusing him of spreading false and defamatory claims after the lawyer contacted former Swalwell staffers about rumors of extramarital affairs and sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n

The letter from Swalwell\u2019s attorneys asserted there was \u201cno truth\u201d to allegations involving inappropriate relationships between Swalwell and interns, and it demanded that the Steyer campaign cease making inquiries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis type of campaigning \u2014 where your staff suggests, without one iota of detail, let alone evidence, that Congressman Swalwell has engaged in improper conduct \u2014 is precisely the kind of spreading of misinformation that we should all be united against,\u201d attorney Stephen Shackelford wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s more, given the nature of your campaign\u2019s false claims, we are concerned that you are weaponizing a very serious subject matter to serve your own political purposes, to the detriment of actual victims of such wrongs. Again, we should all be united in not behaving in such a manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shackelford concluded, \u201cThis is all the oxygen that the Congressman and his campaign intend to give to this sad and dishonest behavior at the moment. But again, you are on notice that these claims are false. They are also defamatory. And the tactics are beneath what we would hope to see from you and your campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the pressure campaign didn\u2019t stop with the lawyers\u2019 letter.<\/p>\n

Yardena Wolf, Swalwell\u2019s longtime chief of staff, business partner and campaign manager, personally texted Hughes a copy of the cease-and-desist notice from her cellphone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the message, she highlighted that Shackelford had represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation case against Fox News before warning Hughes that the matter would also be referred to the California State Bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may recognize the lawyer\u2019s name,\u201d Wolf wrote. \u201cHe took down Fox News for $1B for defamation on behalf of Dominion Voting Systems. We will also be sending to CA Bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominion\u2019s lawsuit ultimately settled for $787.5 million, but the message appeared to be part of the campaign\u2019s scare tactics.<\/p>\n

Wolf, who declined comment Friday, also made headlines last month after she was identified as being romantically involved with Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who is now the subject of House ethics investigation looking into sexual misconduct. <\/p>\n

Read more Newlyweds Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce hold hands in first photos post-wedding at former teammate\u2019s nuptials<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolf and Gomez both denied an encounter in which they were reportedly seen kissing, but Gomez later acknowledged he made \u201cpersonal mistakes outside my marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Swalwell\u2019s legal blitz came days after Hughes contacted Shannon Fuller, a former Swalwell aide and former colleague, seeking information about the rumors, according to a source familiar with the outreach. Fuller is believed to have alerted Swalwell\u2019s team, triggering the legal response.<\/p>\n

Swalwell\u2019s campaign attempted to silence other women on social media from amplifying rumors of sexual misconduct, which has been reported by The Post and other media outlets, but the new details on Shackleford\u2019s threats shed new light on the lengths Swalwell\u2019s team carried out as part of its damage control efforts.<\/p>\n

On April 10, multiple women came forward with allegations against Swalwell that ranged from rape and sexual assault to other deviant misconduct. Swalwell, who is married with three children, denied the allegations while admitting he had made \u201cmistakes in judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swalwell ended up suspending his campaign and resigning from Congress days later, while Steyer went on to finish third in the June primary election after spending more than $200 million of his own money.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Sara Azari, an attorney who has received more than $300,000 in payments from Swalwell\u2019s campaign for governor, defended the legal strategy of her predecessors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Swalwell\u2019s campaign issued a cease-and-desist letter to address false and defamatory claims that have been circulated publicly,\u201d she wrote in a text message to The Post.<\/p>\n

Swalwell\u2019s campaign is currently subject of a state ethics investigation in relation to his payments to Azari, as the ex-candidate himself has been the subject of multiple criminal investigations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Swalwell has not been charged, the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department confirmed to The Post this week that its criminal investigation into allegations by Lonna Drewes \u2014 a former model who accused Swalwell of drugging, choking and raping her \u2014 remains active.<\/p>\n

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Eric Swalwell’s campaign threatened Tom Steyer’s over scrutiny of Swalwell’s alleged sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Eric Swalwell\u2019s attorneys threatened Tom Steyer campaign just before scandal erupted - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4203\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Eric Swalwell\u2019s attorneys threatened Tom Steyer campaign just before scandal erupted - 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