I wanna thank you falettin’ me click my tabs again …
She says this as if it is a good personal defense. But if she is telling the truth, then the entire field of journalism is filled with cowardly, duplicitous, frightened little lambs who can’t tell the truth unless their boss gives them permission.
— PoIiMath (@politicalmath) April 13, 2026
Ed: It’s yet another example of the “now it can be told” genre of journalism. At least none of these ‘journalists’ are cashing in with books about how everyone really knew about Swalwell’s predatory nature, unlike Joe Biden’s dementia. At least, no one’s written a book yet.
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Axios: The House Ethics Committee has begun a probe into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) over allegations of sexual misconduct, it announced Monday in a statement.
Why it matters: Swalwell suspended his California gubernatorial campaign on Sunday after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
Ed: It has been eight years since the Fang Fang scandal and Swalwell’s exposure to China’s intelligence service. Why didn’t the Ethics Committee take this issue up at the time, especially since his predilections were apparently known at that time?
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WATCH: The Sunday shows immediately cover the rape allegations against U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy describes how he tried to get rid of Swalwell since the Fang Fang days.
JON KARL: We don’t have much time left, but I wanted the- the allegations against… pic.twitter.com/mFXWNaJ1RO
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 12, 2026
KEVIN McCARTHY: Listen, let me be very clear. I tried to get rid of Swalwell six, eight years ago when I got the briefing, when I became leader with the FBI- Nancy Pelosi was in the room. I turned to her and said, how can you keep him on Intel? Intel is a select committee that only the leaders put on, that you know all the secrets that the members do not. I made a motion…
KARL: But- is this about sexual misconduct allegations or…
McCARTHY: It was a combination with the Chinese spy and it led to all that. Every member in Congress knows not to- not to let any young staffer get around Swalwell or Matt Gaetz. It- it’s- it’s not a secret there. There’s a reason why you didn’t want those two people around. He was the leading candidate for governor. He probably could have won the primary and gotten there. But this all came forward. And these young women deserve justice.
DONNA BRAZILE: I agree…
Ed: Everyone knew. EVERYONE knew. And Democrats protected Swalwell anyway because they valued political expediency over victims. So get ready for more “now it can be told” stories from their allies in the Protection Racket Media.
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Dan McLaughlin at NRO: For months, Hilton and Bianco have been one and two in the RealClearPolitics poll average, albeit by a very slim margin, and entering Friday, Hilton was first at 14.7 percent with Bianco third at 13 percent, while Swalwell was second at 13.7 percent, Katie Porter fourth at 11.3 percent, and the deep-pocketed Tom Steyer fifth at 10.3 percent.
That presents Democrats with two possibilities. One is the disaster scenario where Hilton and Bianco are the two general election candidates. Democrats need to winnow the field, and quickly, to avoid that. Early voting (which in California is indistinguishable from election day voting) starts in just over three weeks. …
In short: Democrats have not suddenly gotten religion on sexual abusers in a way that shows they are willing to let a Republican win a major election. They are instead acting ruthlessly in their own partisan, personal, and ideological interests.
Ed: We’ll have to wait until next year for the “now it can be told” stories on this subject to be sold as books that everyone can see with their own eyes now. The mission of journalism in this era is to protect Democrats at all costs, except when it becomes necessary to sacrifice a Democrat to save other Democrats. Reference: Joseph Robinette Biden.
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The same industry that reported Kavanaugh was a teen gang rapist and reported that the president is into pee play also wants you to believe that its hand were tied when it came to uttering a single word about Swallwell’s misconduct — which it claims was well-known.
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) April 13, 2026
Ed: Let’s not forget Sharp As A Tack™!
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Tom Knighton: I don’t expect only moral people to seek office, though. I know good and well that bad people are always going to seek power, and the really terrifying ones are able to convince us they’re great folks.
What I do expect, though, is for those in power to be bound by the same rules the rest of us are. I expect them to be held accountable for their misdeeds and not have them covered up with my tax dollars.
I want everyone remotely like Gonzales and Swalwell to have their issues disclosed so the voters can see who these people really are. I want the slush fund to end and for Congress to put the onus for any payouts on the offenders and force them to pay out of their own personal finances.
I’m sick of the aristocracy we’re developing in this country, especially when so many of them are nothing but degenerates.
Ed: I’d also like a media industry that doesn’t apply (D)ifferent standards depending on partisan affiliation. Looks like we’re not getting that either.
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So powerful it takes 13+ years to report. https://t.co/Ls9XAtYqlt
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) April 13, 2026
Ed: Hey, the four years they hid Biden’s dementia may actually pale in comparison. On second thought …. naaaaah.
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NBC News: A social media post on President Donald Trump’s page depicting him as a Christ-like savior appeared to have been removed after swift pushback, including from some of his own supporters.
The picture, posted Sunday night, depicted Trump in a robe with his hand on the forehead of a bedridden man. Light surrounds the man’s head, and an orb of light floats in the president’s other hand. An American flag and the Statue of Liberty adorn the backdrop. …
The picture drew swift condemnation, including from conservatives who have backed the president, over Trump seeming to compare himself to God or Jesus Christ.
Ed: It’s a rare moment of discretion from Trump, who usually will not back down over criticism of his memes and social media posts. This one went beyond the pale, however, for people who understand the fundamental lessons of faith, which I will borrow from the film “Rudy”: “There is a God, and I am not Him.”
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🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump RESPONDS to backlash over the now-deleted post
Q: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
TRUMP: “How did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better and make… pic.twitter.com/5K5BicFeCQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 13, 2026
TRUMP: “How did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better and make people a lot better.”
“I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one.”
Ed: This … is not a believable explanation. Better to just chalk it up to poor taste and leave it at that.
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Liz Mair at the WashEx: Unfortunately, the U.K.’s disturbingly anti-free-speech regime remains largely unchanged and overbroad. The dirtiest trick, though, is the ongoing effort by U.S. policymakers to replicate Britain’s anti-free speech approach that has diverted police away from addressing serious crime, including violent crime like robberies in London’s most chi-chi districts, erroneously believing this will somehow be of use in protecting our citizens, including and most especially children.
The truth is, in Jolly Old England (and Wales, and Scotland, and Northern Ireland), not only will “non-crime hate incidents,” which can include everything from jokes to posts that legitimately help fuel riots, continue to be recorded where they “may be relevant to policing for preventing or solving crime, safeguarding individuals or communities or fulfilling other statutory policing purposes,” — a pretty undefined standard that will make application of rules inconsistent and subjective.
Ed: The proper cure for bad speech is more speech, not government suppression of speech. Criticize bad speech, highlight and ridicule it, and better yet, propose better ideas by making nothing off-limits for debate. That is how free societies work, while the UK is modeling an autocracy on the verge of tipping over into an outright police state in the model of George Orwell’s “1984.” And they’re not alone, either …
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Controlling state media.
No wonder Dems are fawning over him.— Blue State Snooze (@BlueSnoozeBlue) April 13, 2026
Ed: My understanding is that Magyar is more centrist than leftist, but still closer to the EU establishment than Orban. We’ll see, but this isn’t a propitious start.
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WSJ: U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, based in Miami, ruled Trump hadn’t made a valid legal claim that he was defamed by an article about a letter to financier Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name.
The judge said that to show defamation, Trump had to demonstrate that the Journal and its reporters acted with “actual malice,” meaning they deliberately published a false story or showed reckless disregard for the truth. Trump failed to show that the reporters acted with ill will and deliberately avoided investigating his claim that the letter was fake, the judge said.
“The complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite,” wrote Gayles, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. He noted that the journalists reached out to Trump, Justice Department officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before publication. “In short, the complaint and the article confirm that defendants attempted to investigate.”
Ed: Trump later pointed out, correctly, that the judge dismissed this without prejudice. He can refile the claim within the next two weeks, but he has to show evidence that he can cross the Sullivan standard for public persons. Can he do that? We’ll see, but I don’t see this case in the same category as the ABC and CBS cases that ended up in settlements. I’d guess that Trump and his team will move on to other things.
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One may ask why Swawell was so reckless? Perhaps because he knew the press and D colleagues would cover up his predation as long as he kept calling Trump a predator. #MeToo only matters to the Dem/Media Complex when it might cost Dems a Governor seat@SenAdamSchiff @SenWarren https://t.co/7sCZCle3La
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) April 13, 2026
Ed: That’s exactly what this demonstrates. The only reason the media started going after Swalwell was because the JournOList Bat-signal went out to get Swalwell out of the way.
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Joe Biden gave Adam Schiff a preemptive and unconditional presidential pardon. https://t.co/C2gikV3QeK
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) April 13, 2026
Ed: Schiff is a raging hypocrite as well as a corruptocrat, and this might be the best Community Note in X/Twitter history.
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Trump just became the first president in American history to DoorDash food from the Oval Office. 😭 pic.twitter.com/YVeZirMXAn
— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) April 13, 2026
Ed: This was a lot of fun, and the deliverer was a great sport about it all. Even when Trump put her on the spot about voting for him (“Maybe”) and men in women’s sports (no opinion). Trump really enjoyed it as well.
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Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you’re digging these Final Word posts and want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!
