Swalwell Quits as Scandal Rips, Can Republicans Reconcile behind Reconciliation & the Tax Plan Sending NYC Packing Week In Review
Verdict with Ted Cruz
Premiere Networks
4.6 • 43.4K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
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Summary
1. Eric Swalwell Campaign Collapse
- Eric Swalwell reportedly ended/suspended his campaign for California governor after multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
- Allegations include sexual assault, rape, unwanted contact, and inappropriate behavior, some allegedly involving intoxicated individuals.
- The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is described as opening a criminal investigation, raising potential legal exposure.
- Around 50 former staffers publicly condemned Swalwell, suggesting alleged behavior was widely known.
- Swalwell denies all allegations, calling them false and politically motivated.
2. Democratic Party Hypocrisy and Political Calculations
- The speaker claims Democrats:
- Are calling for Swalwell to suspend his campaign, but not resign from Congress, due to narrow House margins.
- Act only when misconduct threatens electoral chances rather than out of concern for victims.
- California’s “jungle primary” system is highlighted as a reason Democrats panicked, since two Republicans could theoretically advance to the general election.
- The segment accuses Democrats of double standards, comparing Swalwell’s situation with other Democratic lawmakers allegedly facing ethics violations.
3. Republican Strategy: Reconciliation and Legislative Urgency
- A Republican lawmaker argues this is the last realistic window to pass conservative priorities before likely midterm losses.
- Advocates for a large-scale budget reconciliation bill with “tentpole” items such as:
- Long-term funding for ICE and CBP
- Preventing government shutdowns
- Indexing capital gains taxes to inflation
- Airport and TSA funding guarantees
- Election integrity provisions tied to federal funding
- Criticism of past Republican leadership (including Mitch McConnell) for failing to use reconciliation aggressively.
4. New York City Luxury Property Tax Criticism
- Focuses on NYC politician (Mamdani) promoting a “pied-à-terre” tax on luxury second homes over $5 million.
- The tax aims to raise $500 million annually to fund social programs.
- Commentary portrays the policy as:
- Anti-wealth, vindictive, and punitive
- Likely to accelerate wealth and job flight from NYC
- Examples cited include:
- Ken Griffin (Citadel)
- Elon Musk leaving California for Texas
- Claims that high taxes drive businesses and wealthy individuals to lower-tax states, harming long-term economic health.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.4 | Welcome, it is verdict with Ted Cruz week in review. |
| 0:07.7 | Ben Ferguson with you. |
| 0:08.7 | And here are the stories that we talked about this week that you may have missed. |
| 0:11.8 | First up, Eric Swalwell ends his campaign. |
| 0:15.6 | We predicted it. |
| 0:16.9 | He's now not only out of the governor's race, but out of Congress. |
| 0:20.5 | We'll give you the details. |
| 0:22.0 | Also, why is it so difficult for the GOP to unify behind a reconciliation bill? We'll explain that to you as well. |
| 0:30.8 | And finally, Mundani, saying what we all expected, another massive tax hike in New York City going after those, he says, |
| 0:39.9 | that aren't paying their fair share. It's the weekend review, and it starts right now. |
| 0:45.3 | And I want to move on to this other story. The headline that broke on Sunday evening, |
| 0:50.5 | and I'm going to read this headline from CNN. Eric Swalwell ends campaign for California |
| 0:55.4 | governor after sexual misconduct allegations. He said Sunday would withdraw from the California |
| 1:01.9 | governor's race in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct that led to a nearly immediate |
| 1:06.4 | campaign collapse. As staffers quit on him, prominent Democratic supporters now urging him to drop |
| 1:12.8 | out. He then put out a statement on X saying, I am suspending my campaign for governor to my family, |
| 1:19.2 | staff, friends, and supporters. I'm deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. |
| 1:26.6 | Then he says, I will fight the serious false allegations |
| 1:29.7 | that have been made, but that's my fight, not a campaign. After that, we found out even |
| 1:38.2 | more about what's happening, and that is the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has opened a |
... |
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