Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell stands accused of sexual assault by several women. The attacks allegedly occurred several years ago. One of the victims reportedly told a friend about the assault shortly after it occurred.
With this background out of the way, allow me to offer my two cents.
I despise Mr. Swalwell because of his politics. He is a childish hack for the Democratic Party establishment and aggressively and gleefully promotes the harmful damage they are doing to our country. Yes, he’s a garbage human being, but that having been said we must consider the following:
- Perhaps he is guilty. Perhaps not. An accusation, especially one several years after the alleged crime occurred, is not by itself proof of wrongdoing.
- Credible reports of a crime should be investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agency.
- Due process is an important basic human right. Even though he was an eager supporter of the MeToo movement, which stupidly dismissed the importance of this right, both Mr. Swalwell and his accusers must be afforded due process. If we are unwilling to ensure this right for those we hate, we risk losing it for ourselves, as well.
- A person’s wealth, power, or position does not excuse criminal behavior, nor should it shield him from punishment. Conversely, a false accusation is devastating to the accused and harms the efforts of true victims to seek justice.
- The timing of these well-after-the-fact salacious accusations, which suddenly arise during a contentious political moment, is always suspicious. I would not be surprised in the least if one or more of his fellow Democrat competitors for the governorship were involved.
- My questions for the victim are ones which must be asked: “Did you immediately contact the police and report the attack?” “Did the friend you told encourage you to immediately go to the police?” I’m betting, the answer to these questions is no; therefore, the follow-up question is, “Now that you’ve made the allegation public, have you finally gone to the police?”
- For the faux feminists who make excuses for the women not coming forward at the time of the attack (e.g., “You don’t know what it’s like to be raped!”), here’s my response to your misogynistic bullshit: I don’t know what it’s like to be raped (Thank God!), but I sure as hell know how important it is to report a serious crime to the police. Law enforcement takes the crime of sexual assault very seriously. Men have been going to jail for rape for as long as there have been prisons. Women have agency to go to the police and seek medical care if they are the victim of sexual assault—and should absolutely do so. This is critical in order to provide contemporaneous evidence of the crime. Law enforcement and medical personnel are trained in this. Additionally, failure to immediately report the crime puts other women at risk who may be attacked by this same person. (I’ll add, this last thing was the topic of an All in the Family episode over fifty years ago—1973.)
- Taking rape accusations seriously is a non-partisan issue and there is no patriarchy defending rapists. Good men hate rapists. Hell, non-rapist fellow prisoners hate them, too. Many men, me included, would love to have the death penalty for rapists.
- My advice to the GOP regarding Mr. Swalwell’s situation is keep largely quiet. I get the temptation of schadenfreude, especially with an odious human being like Mr. Swalwell. The answer if asked for a comment should be something like the following: “Sexual assault is a serious crime. Due process is important for everyone. Allegations must be investigated by the appropriate law enforcement authorities. If a person is found guilty of sexual assault, severe punishment is warranted. As a general recommendation, the best thing a person can do if the victim of a sexual assault is to immediately contact the police and seek medical attention.”
I’m betting the remaining Democrats in the race shall go scorched earth on each other and the Republicans unable to help themselves and not keep largely quiet.
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