Given the new sexual misconduct allegations against disgraced Democratic Congressman and former California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell, or at least the media deciding to finally act on what has been described as an “open secret,” the Media Research Center felt it was worth looking back at how often he was gifted a cable news appearance by the liberal outlets. According to a MRC study, between January 1 and April 10, Swalwell made 50 appearances on CNN and MS NOW.
Fifty appearances over 14 weeks averages out to more than three and half appearances per week (3.57). A lot for someone not in party leadership. The liberal cable networks were giving the gubernatorial hopeful a ton of airtime as he aimed to lead arguably the most liberal state in the country. For the complete list of the shows he appeared on in 2026, click here.
Swalwell seemed to be a fan of MS NOW. He appeared there the most at 26 times. The network kept the Congressman busy on the weekends with 10 appearances on such shows as The Weekend, The Weekend: Primetime, The Beat: Weekend, and Alex Witt Reports.
On January 25, Witt gave Swalwell a very warm welcome in the wake of the Alex Pretti shooting: “And joining me now we have Democratic congressman from California, our friend Eric Swalwell. He is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, which provides oversight for Customs and Border Patrol [sic] and ICE, as well as the Judiciary Committee.”
Swalwell, spoke with female hosts or reporters 12 times on MS NOW. Meanwhile, Swalwell seemed to prefer the ladies of CNN.
While he only appeared 24 times on the network, he was on shows like The Arena with Kasie Hunt five times, Laura Coates Live three times, and Erin Burnett OutFront once. He also spoke with the various female hosts and co-hosts of CNN News Central, CNN Newsroom, and The Situation Room a combined 10 times.
That’s total of 19 of his 24 CNN appearances. Likely a coincidence since they do have a high number of female hosts.
In his March 31 appearance with Burnett, she defended him against allegations he fell victim to a Chinese honey trap scheme with Fang Fang, and dismissed FBI Director Kash Patel’s apparent desire to release the files related to the case as a way to hurt his so-far successful gubernatorial campaign:
Cease and desist. Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell's lawyer, sending a letter to FBI director Kash Patel demanding he not release decade old files related to an investigation that did not result in Swalwell either being charged with a crime or accused of any wrongdoing.
Now, this would be a highly unusual move by Patel, to say the least. At a questionable time. It is two months before the California governor primary election, where Swalwell is a leading candidate in a crowded field, which includes a Republican who is a former Fox News host.
This all comes after the Washington Post reported that Patel ordered agents to review and redact files involving Swalwell's interaction with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative.
Two weeks later, and that effort on Burnett’s part was for not.
