Eric Swalwell’s hell week just took a turn for the worse, and this time, the criticism came from someone who considered the Democratic lawmaker family. Stephen Cloobeck, a timeshare entrepreneur, publicly severed ties with the accused rapist California congressman on Sunday. Shortly after, Swalwell discreetly revealed that he was withdrawing from his campaign for California governor.
It seems Cloobeck had been allowing Swalwell to stay at his expansive 9,700-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills while the congressman faced escalating allegations of rape, sexual assault, and inappropriate behavior from several women. Swalwell even recorded his denial video there on Friday. By Sunday, Cloobeck had reached his limit. He booted Swalwell from the premises:
Just weeks ago, Cloobeck called Swalwell his “little brother” in an interview with Politico, and he scoffed in a previous interview with The Post when asked about rumors that Swalwell may have acted inappropriately with female staff and interns.
Cloobeck, who said he has been a Democrat for “almost 40-year plus,” is now unsure where the allegations will ultimately lead, but he said the controversy was enough to make him walk away.
“I don’t know where these facts are going to end up — you hear or read all this stuff,” he said.
When asked whether he believed Swalwell had been truthful with him, Cloobeck said: “I’m gonna have to investigate that. I don’t know the answer to that.”
Cloobeck, who gained more name recognition after briefly running for governor last year and making multiple appearances on the TV show “Undercover Boss,” has been extremely generous to Swalwell.
On top of letting the deeply-in-debt congressman frequently stay at his 9,700-square-foot mansion, Cloobeck gave the maximum $39,200 to Swalwell’s campaign and gifted the congressman a $31,000 trip to France in 2024.
But he wasn’t done there. Cloobeck then shredded fellow billionaire Tom Steyer — who has burnt almost $100 million on the California governor’s race — calling it “spending all this money on bulls***.” He then torched the Democrat Party on his way out the door.
“I am no longer supporting Eric. F***ing tell everyone I’m a libertarian. F*** you, Democrat Party. I’m a libertarian now,” he said.
He added, “I’m going to change my G*****n party affiliation, because I cannot stand this Democratic Party at all. I am done. Finito,” Cloobeck continued.
Finito, no doubt.
Eric Swalwell’s political career fell apart quickly. On Friday, a former staffer accused him of having sex with her twice while she was too intoxicated to give consent. Another woman claimed that during a visit in 2025, Swalwell got her drunk, then kissed and groped her without her consent. Social media creator Ally Sammarco reported that he sent her unsolicited nude photos while suggesting he could help advance her career. Additionally, another woman indicated that after she reached out to him on social media, he persistently requested explicit photos and sent her unsolicited nude videos over several years.
CNN conducted an investigation into these allegations and found that multiple details were corroborated.
Shortly after the allegations became public, his campaign saw a significant departure of staff, and he lost all of his endorsements. Additionally, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has initiated a criminal investigation into the allegations, and he now faces the possibility of being expelled from Congress.
