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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to Resign from Congress Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Next Hour, Rubio Joins Ceasefire Talks Between Israel and Lebanon; Source Says, White House Discussing New Round of Talks With Iran. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, awaiting Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress. And first on CNN, I sat down with one of the women accusing Swalwell of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations. Her interactions with the congressman and why she believes going public was the only way to get accountability.

Plus, first direct talks in 40 years. Next hour, Israeli and Lebanese officials will meet at the State Department on a path forward as strikes continue between Israel and Hezbollah. What each side wants.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And possible round two? U.S. officials are looking to hold another in-person meeting with Iranian officials before the ceasefire expires next week. We're live at the White House with the very latest.

And breaking overnight, storm slammed the Central U.S. bringing tornadoes, heavy rain, and even hail. But the severe weather threat is far from over.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And happening now, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell says he's planning to resign from Congress following explosive allegations of sexual misconduct by four women, first reported by my team and me last Friday.

Now, we should note Swalwell has denied these allegations, though he has admitted to errors in judgment. But in A CNN exclusive, these four women detailed sexual misconduct by Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her. In her first sit-down interview with me, one of Swalwell's accusers tells me that the congressman sent in her unsolicited sexual photos, including a photo of his genitals.

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ALLY SAMMARCO, SWALWELL ACCUSER: He thought that he was untouchable. He didn't care what he was putting out there. He thought that all of these women would stay loyal to him. BROWN (voice over): Ally Sammarco never wanted to go public with her interactions with Congressman Eric Swalwell, but now she sees it as the only way for him to face accountability.

SAMMARCO: I don't take any pride really in this. I feel like it was the right thing for me to do. I had to do it. And I give a lot of credit to the women that spoke out and told their stories, as horrible it was for them to recollect them. I'm so proud of them for doing that. And I felt like I needed to speak up to validate their experiences.

BROWN: She first met Swalwell in 2021.

SAMMARCO: I followed him on Twitter for a long time. I was an admirer of his. I thought he was a great politician, an up and coming politician, and I truly never thought he would respond. He had over a million followers. And not only did he respond, he responded very quickly and he was very eager to talk to me, and that took me by surprise.

He asked me to come to the Capitol to meet him and meet his staff, and he would introduce me to people that would help. I went to the Capitol and I didn't meet anybody but him. We went into his office and he closed the door and it was just the two of us. We talked for 20 minutes. And then after that, I left and he sent me a text message saying, could you feel the tension in the room between us?

So, from there, the messages shifted to much more personal, much more inappropriate, and crossing a line.

BROWN: But he eventually started to text her late at night. And one screenshot she shared with CNN, Swalwell used if he should, quote, pour a nightcap and referred to her as, quote, the bad angel tempting me. And did another, he asked for her Snapchat information. That app often used because of its disappearing message function was where she said their conversations became inappropriate.

Tell me more about the unsolicited photos he sent you.

SAMMARCO: Yes. So, the messages gradually became more inappropriate and they became later into the night times that nobody should be talking to a congressman or a congressman should be talking to a young girl.

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And he would say things, like, what are you doing, what are you wearing, send me a photo of what you're doing right now. And then, eventually, one night we were talking and he just sent me a photo of his genitals.

BROWN: Unsolicited?

SAMMARCO: Unsolicited, yes. And I thought he could help me. I felt like, again, I had just made a huge connection who was interested in helping me. And if I were to push him away, in any way, he might not -- he might just stop talking to me all together.

BROWN: Swalwell denies allegations of sexual misconduct in the case of another woman of rape. He announced Monday he plans to resign from Congress and has already suspended his campaign for California governor. He said in a statement, quote, I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.

Tell me about the power and balance and what it felt like.

SAMMARCO: It felt huge, insurmountable. He was a national politician who, at one point, even ran for president, and I was someone just starting in my career. I didn't think that this was someone who would put themselves out there in a way that could be exposed. So, I trusted him. I trusted that even though he's saying something that feels a little off, that he knows what he's doing.

BROWN: Now, he's dropped out of the race and he's resigned from Congress, what do you say to that?

SAMMARCO: Because Eric Swalwell ran for governor, that doesn't mean he's immune from the consequences of his actions. He never should have ran for governor to begin with knowing what he knows and nobody else is responsible for what happened to him. Eric Swalwell is responsible for Eric Swalwell, not the media, and definitely not the women.

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BROWN (on camera): And we thank Ally for coming out. It takes a lot of courage, as you know, Wolf, to come out like this.

And I reached out to Congressman Swalwell again today to ask if he had any comment and I have not heard back. But this has just been such a rapid fall from grace for him. I mean, he was leading in the gubernatorial race in California just last week. Now, he's withdrawn and now he announced he is resigning from Congress.

BLITZER: It's moved really quickly. I mean, I've seen scandals unfold up on Capitol Hill over the years, but this one seems to be moving much more quickly.

BROWN: Yes, it absolutely does. I certainly haven't seen this -- anything like this happened so quickly as well. And as you well know, not only Eric Swalwell is resigning from Congress, but also Tony Gonzales, Republican congressman who had been under fire for a relationship with his staffer, who later put herself on fire. There had been an ethics investigation there. And now that both men are leaving Congress, those ethics investigations will no longer happen. Although with Eric Swalwell, there is a Manhattan D.A. investigation into the more serious allegation of rape.

BLITZER: Yes. All right, well, thanks, terrific reporting as usual. Thank you. Thank you very much, Pamela.

All right, there's more breaking news we're following. Just minutes from now, direct talks are due to get underway to try to end the Israeli conflict with Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to join ambassadors to the United States from Israel and Lebanon at the State Department. This would be the first public meeting of senior officials from Israel and Lebanon in more than 40 years. Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the target of Israel's mission in Lebanon, has called on Beirut to reject the talks.

At the same time, sources are telling CNN the Trump administration is considering a second round of in-person peace talks with Iran. People familiar with the talk say President Trump is open to resuming negotiations with Iran if he believes Iran is ready to accept his demands. Overnight, optimism of a possible deal led to global oil prices dropping slightly.

In Tehran meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered in the streets to protest the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The blockade began some 24 hours ago, and it's not exactly clear how it will be enforced.

Our correspondents are covering all the latest developments from their locations across the Middle East, as well, of course, here in Washington.

CNN's Brian Todd is here with me in the situation room. What can you tell us about these U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon scheduled to begin at the top of the next hour?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if everything you laid out just now illustrates this, the entire region right now is on a razor's edge because of these talks and because of the prospect of a second round of U.S.-Iran talks. There is so much riding on all of this, and we are at such a critical turning point right now with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and everything.

First, let's get to what both sides want in these talks between Israel and Lebanon that are, as Wolf mentioned, slated to begin in about 50 minutes from now.

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First, what Israel wants? They want Hezbollah, the longtime powerful militant group in Lebanon, to be disarmed. They also want a broader peace deal with Lebanon. What does Lebanon want? They want a broader ceasefire deal, and they want a propose framework for future talks, which includes a critical thing there, the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Now, according to a, a Lebanese official who spoke to CNN, the Lebanon's representatives of at these talks is going to seek a ceasefire as a precondition for future negotiations. The official says the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, her name, Nada Hamadeh, will lay out a proposed framework for future talks.

There is a key wrinkle here, and what is Hezbollah going to -- how are they going to react to this. Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem had called on Lebanon's government to reject these talks that are about to start. Qassem says Hezbollah is not going to surrender and will continue to respond to Israeli attacks.

Israel, for its part, has said that if these talks break down, if there is a failure in negotiations, it is prepared to occupy Southern Lebanon for months, if not even years. And, Wolf, you know, more riding on the line here, Lebanese authorities have said more than 2,000 people have been killed, 6,500 wounded since March 2nd. This is critical for these talks to make some progress here.

BLITZER: Well, let's hope they do make some progress and eventually some sort of peace deal between Israel and Lebanon emerges out of this.

TODD: 40-plus years since they've spoken in public.

BLITZER: And it's interesting, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is hosting these two ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon, and he's getting directly involved.

TODD: He is. And that, again, speaks to the critical nature of these talks and the turning point that we are at right now. This is a critical, critical moment in the entire region. As you guys have just been reporting, the prospect for a second round of U.S.-Iran talks, that could materialize. Maybe that depends on what happens here.

And will Lebanon's government, if they agree to a ceasefire and the disarmament of Hezbollah, are they going to have the power, the practical ability to bring that disarmament about to the Israeli's satisfaction?

BLITZER: And we'll have some live coverage at the top of the hour on this historic meeting over at the State Department involving the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States meeting with the secretary of state.

TODD: Right.

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, as usual, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Let's turn to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House. Alayna, let's talk about this possible round of U.S. talks with Iran. What are you learning about that?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, I spoke with a source familiar with some of the discussions going on here at the White House, Pam. And what they told me is that there have been internal preliminary discussions about a second in-person face-to-face meeting between the U.S. delegation and the Iranian delegation. It'd be the same U.S. officials we saw on the stage in Islamabad on Saturday, people like the vice president, J.D. Vance, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff.

And one of the things about whether or not this could actually happen, from what I'm picking up in my conversations with Trump administration officials, is that they believe that there's still a lot of work, of course, that needs to be done before this potential second meeting could take place. And part of that is really more preparation on the front end and getting to real contours of what a potential final agreement between these two countries could look like.

The sticking points that we've reported, of course, include a suspension of Iran enriching uranium. We were told that the U.S. had proposed a 20-year moratorium on Iran enriching uranium. They came back and said, let's make it five years. That's something that this White House was not going to accept. And so there's a lot going on behind the scenes now of both, of course, the U.S. officials coming back here to the president telling them where things stand.

And also there's this belief as well that perhaps the Iranians need to coordinate better with some of the leadership that they have to make sure that they can make some of the concessions that the U.S. is looking for.

All to say from my conversations, the president does want diplomacy to work. They are hopeful that it could happen, but there's still so much that needs to be agreed upon before the second meeting could take place.

BROWN: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: Also new this morning, rising inflation isn't just hitting buyers hard. Costs for U.S. businesses hit a three-year high just last month, the Producer Price Index, or as it's called PPI, rose 4 percent over the last year. That's the highest year-to-year jump we've seen since 2023.

This report often serves as an indication of what kind of prices consumers can eventually expect in the months ahead. And other recent reports show Americans are already paying much more for regular goods.

Still ahead, from the Texas-Mexico border to the Great Lakes, tens of millions are at risk right now for severe storms. A look at the damage already left behind by the first round of wicked weather that's unfolding right now.

BROWN: And next, Swalwell fallout. We'll speak to a candidate for California governor on what Swalwell's exit means for this crowded race.

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You're in The Situation Room and we'll be right back.

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BROWN: And back to our top story this morning, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell says he is planning to resign from Congress following explosive allegations of sexual misconduct that CNN first reported last Friday. We should note that Swalwell has denied these allegations. On Sunday, he announced he would withdraw from the California governor's race.

And with us now is former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. I actually believe that -- yes, on Sunday he announced that. And then yesterday, as you well know, he came out and said he's resigning from Congress. So, I wonder what you think about this. You're a Democratic candidate for California governor, and this has been quite a rapid fall from political grace for Swalwell.

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What do you think?

FMR. MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): Well, and as it should be. These -- I think these women are courageous to take on a powerful Congress member in this way. I think your reporting was excellent. And I think it is time, it's time for him to go, not just get out of the race, but, you know, leave the Congress.

BROWN: On Monday on -- go ahead.

VILLARAIGOSA: You know, look, this is yet another scandal. This is yet another scandal. We had one with Katie Porter berating her staff, another one with Javier Becerra, chief of staff indicted because he was getting money from his campaign account illegally. We need steady leadership right now. We need a steady hand.

The world's in turmoil. We're at war. California's unaffordable. We got a man in the White House that is undermining our democracy. We need somebody with a proven record of delivering results. And that's what I'm focused on and that's why I've said that today that I'm going to serve only one term.

At the end of the day, I'd rather have four transformative years that ain't mediocre ones. And the next governor's going to have to take on some really tough challenges, challenges that frankly won't make him very or her very popular.

And so I've said we need a new generation of leadership but we need a steady hand right now.

BROWN: I want to just ask you, though, in terms of polling, back in February, there was a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California saying only 5 percent of voters said that if the race were held then, they would vote for you. Of course, this was before everything was reported out about Swalwell and him dropping out of the race. 14 percent said Republican Steve Hilton, and 13 percent said Katie Porter, who you just mentioned.

What else is your message to Californians to win them over besides announcing that you're going to serve just one term if elected?

VILLARAIGOSA: Well, this state's unaffordable. We have the highest gas prices in the United States of America. We have the highest utility cost in the continental United States and the highest home prices. It happened under our watch. I'm the only candidate willing to say that. This wasn't because of Donald Trump. This was because of policies that we created that had made it impossible for people to afford this state. This issue of affordability, the high cost of gas and home prices, is the most important issue facing us. And it's an issue that people are really concerned about. And it's going to mean we're going to have to take on tough issues.

I've got a record of doing that. I was speaker of the California State Assembly, balanced two budgets with a surplus. We're looking at an $18 to $35 billion multiple-year deficit in the coming year. People want a leader who's going to focus on the job, and what I've said is I'm going to focus on making the right decisions not keeping the job or running for the next one.

I think what we saw with Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter and all the candidates, frankly, they're going to start running for president almost immediately. We don't need someone like that. We need somebody who's going to focus on taking the tough issues. They won't be popular because tough decisions are popular.

BROWN: Let me just jump in though. I mean, obviously affordability is a very big issue and California is known to be an expensive state with high taxes. What specifically are you going to do on the affordability front?

VILLARAIGOSA: Let me talk about gas prices for a second. If we close more than a dozen refineries, we made it impossible for refineries to exist in this state, we produce the cleanest fuel in the United States, some people say, the world. We over-rely on foreign oil which is why we're getting hit harder than any other state.

So, what I've said is we've got to stop the regulations that are closing these refineries, about $1.50 on average $2 that we spend more than the rest of the country has to do with that overregulation.

Home prices, you know, if you read the book, Abundance, Democrats and particularly here in California aren't building anymore. We don't build housing. We've got to cut red tape. We've got to address a broken regulatory framework zoning laws that make it impossible to build and is why rent is so high and home prices are out of reach for the vast majority of people.

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BROWN: Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, thank you so much for coming on.

VILLARAIGOSA: Pamela, thank you for your reporting.

BROWN: Thank you. Wolf?

BLITZER: And happening now, embattled Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales says he's stepping down from Congress just days ahead of a vote that could have seen him expelled from the House of Representatives. The House Ethics Committee was investigating Gonzales for having a relationship with a former staffer. Gonzales is expected to file paperwork to leave Congress as soon as today.

And coming up, we'll discuss Gonzales' future along with Swalwell's with Democratic Senator Chris Coons.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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