An ex-girlfriend of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently opened up about a disconcerting encounter she had with Eric Swalwell, the disgraced congressman. The incident, which occurred years before Swalwell faced accusations of sexual assault from multiple women, highlighted what she perceived as his unsettling “narcissism.”
Nomiki Konst, a progressive activist who dated de Blasio following his separation from his wife Chirlaine McCray, recounted the experience on Tara Palmeri’s podcast. The uncomfortable meeting took place in 2016 at a Democratic National Committee event held in a Chicago hotel.
During the celebration, Swalwell, who was married at the time, bought Konst a glass of prosecco during a group toast. She described how he immediately “zoomed in” on her, displaying behavior that she found troubling.
Konst recounted how Swalwell became inappropriately “touchy feely,” touching her hands despite the presence of Democratic senators, members of congress, and other prominent figures. This behavior left her feeling uneasy, especially given that it occurred in such a public setting.
Friends informed her that Swalwell was married to Brittany Watts, which heightened her discomfort. She worried that the interaction might be misinterpreted, given the public nature of the event.
“He was doing it out in the open at a DNC meeting with Donna Brazile, with senators and congress members and press,” Konst noted, underscoring the brazenness of the encounter.
“He was doing it out in the open at a DNC meeting with Donna Brazile, with senators and congress members and press,” she said.
“And I’m like, you are so reckless that you’re out in the open acting like this. So it was an open secret that he at least cheated on his wife,’ she added. “What gets under my skin is how this man thought he could get away with it.”
Swalwell is now accused of raping two woman and sexually harassing multiple others, including young staffers. Though he has denied the allegations against him, he resigned from the House of Representatives Monday and law enforcement in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington DC have launched probes into his alleged conduct.
Swalwell slid into Konst’s DMs years after the Chicago incident with no acknowledgment of the awkward encounter, she said — leaving her shocked by the “narcissism” on display.
Konst then blasted what she called a “protection racket” in Congress that hides sexual misconduct to avoid giving fodder to political foes.
“[Swalwell] thought he was going to be governor?” Konst said, incredulously.
Palmeri revealed that she, too, got the “ick” from Swalwell.
“I think he’s sociopathic, honestly,” Palier responded.
