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The influencer behind viral allegations against gubernatorial campaigner Rep. Eric Swalwell has world and governmental connections with UC Irvine Law prof and rival campaigner Katie Porter. However, the erstwhile congresswoman denies immoderate nonstop relationship.
Swalwell has denied the allegations of inappropriate behaviour with pistillate staffers, which his campy argues are coming from online influencers connected to his opponents.
One of those influencers, Cheyenne Hunt, is simply a self-described progressive activist with a instrumentality grade from the University of California, Irvine School of Law. That is the aforesaid instrumentality schoolhouse wherever chap gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter is simply a longtime professor.
Hunt enrolled astatine UC Irvine Law successful the autumn of 2018, arsenic Porter was moving for Congress. Porter continued surviving in on-campus housing passim her clip successful Congress portion she was connected permission from her teaching position.
According to UCI, Hunt interned connected Capitol Hill for a Democratic Senator portion Porter was serving successful the House, and successful 2021, Porter delivered the commencement code at Hunt's graduation.
Three years later, Hunt ran for Porter's former Orange County legislature seat and posted a photograph with Porter connected societal media, calling her a trailblazer.
Porter comments connected the Swalwell allegations
"They don't person a narration to talk of," said Peter Opitz, a Porter run spokesperson, successful an email erstwhile asked astir the connections. "In fact, Katie endorsed a antithetic campaigner erstwhile she was moving successful a neighboring district."
Opitz pointed to Porter's quality Tuesday connected CNN, wherever she raised the allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Swalwell and, for the archetypal time, referenced potential claims of intersexual assault.
"With respect to Congressman Swalwell, I person seen allegations coming from women staffers. They are very, precise troubling allegations," she said. "It is those women's stories to archer erstwhile they are ready, and I anticipation that they consciousness harmless and supported if they take to bash so."
When pressed connected whether she had seen immoderate grounds of the allegations, Porter clarified, " I person not spoken to immoderate women who are saying that they're going to travel forward… our absorption ought to beryllium connected protecting these victims if they person been victims of intersexual harassment, intersexual assault, we ought to beryllium making definite they consciousness harmless and comfy speaking up."
CNN repeatedly clarified that it has not independently confirmed allegations of misconduct, noting that Porter utilized the term, "sexual assault," which had not yet been specifically alleged.
Swalwell's run vehemently denied the claims of inappropriate behaviour connected Tuesday.
"This false, outrageous rumor is being dispersed 27 days earlier an predetermination begins by flailing opponents who person sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists due to the fact that they cognize Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner successful this race," Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell's campaign, told POLITICO.
"In 13 years, not a azygous morals ailment by immoderate unit successful his bureau oregon immoderate different bureau has ever been lodged. Ever," she added.
Porter-Hunt timeline
- 2018–2021: Hunt attends UC Irvine School of Law
- 2018: Porter elected to Congress
- 2019–2025: Porter serves successful Congress while maintaining on-campus housing
- 2020: Hunt interns connected Capitol Hill done the UCI programme portion Porter is there
- 2021: Porter delivers UCI Law commencement code (at Hunt's graduation)
- 2024: Hunt runs for Porter's former legislature seat
Cheyenne Hunt — a lawyer, erstwhile legislature candidate, and present enforcement manager of Gen-Z for Change — posted connected Instagram that she says she is moving with aggregate women who she claims are preparing to travel guardant with allegations of harassment involving Swalwell.
Hunt has not identified immoderate of the women oregon provided details astir the alleged incidents.
While Porter was connected permission from UC Irvine, serving successful Congress, portion Hunt was enrolled there, Porter remained formally affiliated with UCI instrumentality schoolhouse portion serving successful Congress and continued surviving connected the UCI campus.
UC Irvine has emphasized Porter's continued engagement with the schoolhouse during her clip successful Congress, including highlighting however she hosted UC Irvine instrumentality students successful her legislature office during a authorities shutdown that disrupted externships.
Hunt was portion of UC Irvine Law's Washington pipeline. In 2020, Hunt participated successful UC Irvine Law's Washington externship program, moving arsenic an intern successful Senator Amy Klobuchar's office. Hunt has publically described her relation there, including contributing to enactment during President Trump's archetypal impeachment, an effort Porter vocally supported.
CBS News California reached retired to Hunt connected aggregate platforms, but has not yet received a response.
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