Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the U.S. Congress representing California’s 14th district since 2013, posted a series of messages on his social media account on January 17, 2026, addressing what he described as defamatory content and its subsequent removal.
In an early morning post at 5:43 UTC, Swalwell wrote: “You can take down this bullshit or hire the best lawyer you can afford. You have 24 hours. Tick tock.”
Later that day at 16:11 UTC, he followed up with a brief message: “How about no.”
By the evening at 19:51 UTC, Swalwell provided an update regarding the situation: “#BREAKING
@GeneralJoeM17 DELETES his defamatory tweet.
Stay on offense my friends.”
Eric Swalwell has served in Congress since replacing Pete Stark in 2013 and is currently based in Livermore, California. Born in Sac City, Iowa in 1980, he is now 42 years old. He holds degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park (BA) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (JD).
