Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona is hiring a press secretary amid increased scrutiny following Californian Representative Eric Swalwell’s resignation.
Swalwell announced this week that he was leaving Congress and withdrawing from the race to become California governor following allegations of sexual misconduct involving multiple women. Swalwell maintains that the allegations are false.
In the fallout, Gallego, who enjoyed a close working relationship with Swalwell, has come under the microscope. Though Gallego insists he “had no knowledge of predatory behavior, sexual assault or harassment” and Swalwell was effectively living a “double life,” he has been dogged by questions in the days since the Swalwell accusations emerged.
Newsweek has contacted Gallego for comment.
Why It Matters
While the decision to post the job listing at this specific time may be purely coincidental, it is coming in the middle of a week in which Gallego has been forced to field difficult questions from the press. On Tuesday, he moved to deny he was the man in a video posted to social media allegedly showing Representative Eric Swalwell in bed with a woman.
A day earlier, a yearsold photo showing Gallego and Swalwell shirtless during a foreign trip resurfaced on social media. Though there’s no suggestion of any impropriety behind the image, it is an example of the scrutiny Gallego is facing as some look to draw a connection between the Arizona Democrat and the outgoing California congressman.
What To Know
Gallego appeared edgy when fielding questions on the matter of his supposed appearance in the alleged Swalwell video circulating on X. Gallego told reporters: “This is an example of the lies. No, I was not sitting next to him, I was not in the room, I was nowhere, I don’t even know where it happened.”
He continued: “Right-wing political operatives are pushing this narrative that somehow I was in that room with Eric Swalwell, and that is an absolute lie.” The response was deemed unconvincing by many watching on X. The user behind the parody account @notrfkjr commented that Gallego looked “terrified.” The user behind the pro-Trump account @Americas250th, meanwhile, noted: “The body language experts are gonna have a field day with this interview!”
User @GeraldSwazo, a Democrat, urged viewers not to jump to conclusions, writing: “Before anyone accuses people/ Maybe the full video should be released /instead of saying this or that person is it!”
In a brief phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Gallego told Newsweek: “I have no comment on anything—period—and I’m going to hang up now.”
The press secretary job listing posted by Gallego’s office lists the ability to “draft public statements” and “develop rapid response plans” among the key responsibilities. All skills likely to prove useful in the coming weeks and months.
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