Swalwell’s Donation to Nevada AG Aaron Ford Raises Questions as Sexual Assault Allegations Emerge

As California Congressman Eric Swalwell has suspended his bid for governor and announced his resignation from Congress in the wake of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by numerous Democratic women and staffers, public records show he contributed $1,000 to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford’s 2022 re-election campaign on December 13, 2022.

The donation, documented in Ford’s 2022 Contributions & Expenses Report #4 from Swalwell for Congress, stands out because Ford was the only Nevada politician to receive a contribution from Swalwell that cycle, despite the congressman having no apparent prior political or personal ties to the state.

Notably, the contribution came nearly two years after Swalwell’s ties to a suspected Chinese intelligence operative were publicly exposed. In December 2020, Axios initially reported that Christine Fang (also known as “Fang Fang”), a suspected Chinese spy, had cultivated close relationships with Swalwell and other California politicians in the early 2010s. Fang helped fundraise for Swalwell’s 2014 congressional campaign and assisted in placing an intern in his office. Swalwell received a defensive briefing from the FBI around 2015 and subsequently cut ties with her.

The contribution also occurred years after Ford’s appointment to a high-profile role addressing sexual misconduct. During he height of the #MeToo movement in 2019, Steve Sisolak appointed then–newly sworn-in Attorney General Aaron Ford to chair Nevada’s new Sexual Harassment Task Force. Ford announced the task force membership on January 30, 2019. That appointment drew scrutiny at the time due to Ford’s earlier handling of harassment complaints while serving as Senate Minority Leader.

A 2019 Washington Free Beacon report highlighted questions about Ford’s response to multiple complaints against Sen. Mark Manendo dating back to 2003. The complaints alleged inappropriate behavior toward female staffers and lobbyists. 

Despite these multiple complaints, after becoming Senate Minority Leader following the 2014 election, Ford appointed Manendo as a committee chairman (specifically Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee) for the 2015–2017 sessions and accepted a $5,000 donation from him to the Democratic caucus. An investigation was not launched until April 2017, after additional complaints surfaced. The probe quickly determined that Manendo had violated the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy, and he resigned shortly afterward. Ford stripped Manendo of the chairmanship on May 22, 2017.

In response to other another 2017 high-profile sexual harassment allegations against then-Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D, CD-4) , Ford stated: “Sexual harassment is not acceptable and should never be tolerated, especially by elected leaders,” adding, “I’ve always held the belief that it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican — if there are allegations of misconduct, we should listen to women and a full investigation should take place immediately with serious consequences. I am committed to protecting women so they feel safe to come forward no matter how powerful or well-connected their offender may be.”

Like his Democratic colleagues in Nevada, Ford has shown a clear pattern of relying on California donors and progressive out-of-state networks. In his 2022 Attorney General re-election campaign, he received $16,000 from the Duong family of Oakland’s California Waste Solutions, making Ford the only Nevada politician to receive donations from the Duongs that cycle. Ford later announced he would donate the full amount to charity after the family became embroiled in FBI raids and a California Fair Political Practices Commission investigation into alleged campaign contribution laundering schemes.

In 2025, roughly 50 percent of Ford’s approximately $2.2 million raised came from out-of-state sources, many processed through ActBlue and including significant California-linked contributions. His 2026 gubernatorial campaign has continued this reliance on external fundraising while raising strong early totals.

Likewise, Ford has been endorsed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is also actively fundraising for Ford’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign. Newsom issued a brief statement on the allegations against Swalwell, calling them “deeply troubling” and saying they “must be taken seriously,” but has otherwise remained quiet and has not commented further on Swalwell’s resignation from Congress.

Ford’s office and campaign has been contacted by the California Globe for comment on the Swalwell donation, the endorsement, and related matters but has not responded as of this publication.