Now that philandering U.S. Rep. Gary Swalwell, D-California, has been exposed as a molester and possible rapist, people and groups formerly in lockstep with the disgraced governor wannabe are abandoning him like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
Five women have accused Swalwell, who a few years back had an affair with a Chinese spy, of sexual misconduct in recent days. A former staffer accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2019 and 2024, and another woman has alleged that Swalwell drugged and raped her in a hotel room in 2018.
Among the groups now trying to distance themselves from Swalwell is the rabidly anti-gun Brady Campaign, which had been thick as thieves with Swalwell for years. But one gun-rights group isn’t willing to wet the gun-haters at Brady off easily by simply letting their support for Swalwell, and his support for their pet anti-gun laws, fade off into the night.
Swalwell has been telling lies about guns and gun owners for years, and the Brady Campaign has lapped it up. And according to a news release from the Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), Brady endorsed Swalwell for Congress and even honored him as a guest speaker at a 2024 gala awards event—the same night he allegedly assaulted his female aide.
Consequently, it’s not surprising that Brady is now trying to distance itself from the disgraced gun-ban advocate. According to CCRKBA, Brady has erased his name from its website, and a video of the event where he was guest speaker has reportedly vanished from its YouTube page. Still, the taint of their past association remains.
When allegations surfaced about Swalwell, the Brady Campaign scrubbed all references to him and called for his resignation. But CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb says the gun prohibition lobbying organization cannot erase history.
“Brady United and Swalwell were best friends until these lurid allegations surfaced,” Gottlieb said. “While Swalwell is entitled to a presumption of innocence and due process, that’s certainly not the way the Brady organization has treated gun owners in general.”
As Gottlieb explained, by pushing background checks, waiting periods, and other extremist gun control measures, Brady makes it clear they consider all gun owners and gun buyers guilty until proven innocent.
“Instead, maybe they should background check who they work with,” he said. “The Brady group repeatedly endorsed Swalwell and worked with him, invited him to speak at their New York gala and happily supported his gun ban proposals, but quickly abandoned him and tried to make their association disappear. We’re not going to let that happen.”
Gottlieb suggested that maybe the Brady group should change its title to the ‘Brady Campaign to Prevent Sexual Violence,’ especially since guns don’t commit violence, people do.
“They’re essentially shooting [Swalwell] in the back and burying him in an unmarked grave,” Gottlieb concluded. “What Swalwell allegedly did was despicable. What the Brady Campaign is doing—making his name invisible on their website—is both cowardly and futile. History has recorded their past association, and that’s a stain you cannot wash away.”
