A billionaire backer of now-former California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell has renounced the disgraced congressman and reportedly now wants his money back.
The disgraced Democrat congressman has been embroiled in a rapidly worsening scandal as multiple women have accused him of sexually assaulting them, including one who alleged that Swalwell raped her when she was intoxicated.
Under intense pressure from his own party and the media, Swalwell suspended his campaign on Sunday night while he hangs onto his House seat by his fingernails.
I am suspending my campaign for Governor.
To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.
I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 13, 2026
Even before he quit, Swalwell was so toxic that filthy rich Stephen Cloobeck, who allowed the embattled lawmaker to stay in his Beverly Hills mansion, gave him the boot and said that he could be meeting with his lawyer about getting a refund on the $1 million he gave to an independent committee supporting his candidacy.
In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, the timeshare vacation tycoon explicitly distanced himself from Swalwell, who will be lucky to avoid ending up behind bars as the sordid details of his alleged sexual improprieties continue to spill out in the media, a lightning-fast and sensational fall for the embattled congressman.
“I am no longer supporting Eric,” Cloobeck told the paper. “F—ing tell everyone I’m a Libertarian. F— you, Democrat Party. I’m a Libertarian now.”
Cloobeck’s denunciation of the accused sex abuser comes after Swalwell reportedly filmed his Friday denial video from inside the rental mogul’s 9,700-square-foot home.
Hear it directly from me. These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them. pic.twitter.com/bQSlCquD1U
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 11, 2026
“A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly,” he said. “These allegations of sexual assault are flat out false.”
“They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have,” the defiant Swalwell vowed.
“I have a lot of people who stay at my house,” Cloobeck laughingly told the Post. “I built a gorgeous place, my dream home, I relish it, and I’m a very generous man. I’m very thoughtful and I’m very kind.”
“He added that he would need to talk with his attorney to see if he can claw back the $1 million he gave an independent committee supporting Swalwell,” according to the paper.
“I’m going to change my god-d— party affiliation, because I cannot stand this Democratic Party at all,” he said. “I am done. Finito,” the longtime Democrat told the Post.
Cloobeck’s abrupt change of heart came after he called Swalwell his “little brother” in a recent Politico interview, and according to the paper, “scoffed in a previous interview with The Post when asked about rumors that Swalwell may have acted inappropriately with female staff and interns.”
“I was very concerned for his mental health,” Cloobeck told NBC Los Angeles in a separate interview. “He needed a couple of hugs, ok.”
(Video Credit: NBC Los Angeles)
“I am disturbed, and uh, I cannot support Eric Swalwell anymore,” he said.
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