A private investigator who is working for former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s lawyers called a former Swalwell staffer, asking them questions about their time in the office, the person who received the call told NOTUS.
An investigator who identified herself as working for Beau Dietl & Associates, a high-profile New York firm, told the source she was mainly focused on sexual assault allegations and wanted to talk to the former staffer about her time in Swalwell’s office, the source who received the call said.
Swalwell, who resigned from Congress last week, is accused by several women, including former staffers, of sexual harassment and assault. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The private investigator said that while she is a “strong advocate for women,” the source recalled, she wanted to get to the bottom of what actually happened with Swalwell. To do that, the investigator said they were calling the former congressman’s staffers.
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Later in the call, the source said, the private investigator said that the source would be able to “avoid a subpoena in the future” if they answered the investigator’s questions. The source said they did not cooperate with the private investigator and the call ended.
The investigator also followed up with a text message after the call ended, which NOTUS has reviewed.
Sara Azari, who represents Swalwell, confirmed that her firm had hired Beau Dietl & Associates as part of their investigation and confirmed they had reached out to a former staffer, but denied that the private investigator ever mentioned the possibility of a subpoena.
“That’s absolutely not true,” Azari told NOTUS. “The contact was ended when this individual expressed that she’s not comfortable speaking.”
Azari said that the firm doesn’t currently have subpoena power because there is no court case.
“There is no subpoena power, because nobody’s been charged,” Azari said. “You don’t have subpoena power unless there’s a court case pending.”
Michael Ruggiero, the president and chief operating officer of Beau Dietl & Associates, declined to comment.
Swalwell has retained the New York City firm Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder to represent him in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office probe into the allegations of sexual assault made against the California Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate.
Isabelle Kirshner, a partner with the firm, said that it is “undergoing our own investigation” into the allegations.
There are also two other criminal investigations into Swalwell, including one from the Department of Justice and another by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
NOTUS has previously spoken with two women who allege that Swalwell had an inappropriate relationship with them. One was a former staffer who alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her once when she was working for him, and then multiple years later, after she had left the office. The former staffer alleged that the second assault occurred in New York City, which is the basis for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigation.
NOTUS also previously spoke with a former intern who alleged Swalwell approached and asked for her Snapchat under the guise of being helpful as she advanced in her career. According to the former intern’s allegations, the Snapchats later turned sexual in nature, and at one point, Swalwell invited her back to his hotel room.
Earlier this month, Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial race and resigned from Congress amid the barrage of allegations against him.
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