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A former staffer for Eric Swalwell told CNN the congressman raped her back in 2024.

CNN ran the interview Friday afternoon ... hiding the woman's face to protect her anonymity while she told a story about meeting up with Swalwell for a drink in 2024.

This woman says she went to the bathroom at one point in the evening and completely blacked out ... only remembering a snippet of the night's events -- during which she says she remembers trying to force Swalwell off of her and telling him she didn't consent to sex with him.

President Donald Trump's staff apparently doesn't have to worry about breaking federal law at all ... because a new report says he's offered to pardon them en masse, repeatedly.

The Wall Street Journal released a new report Friday ... claiming POTUS has repeatedly promised top administration officials he will pardon them before he leaves office in January 2029 -- usually jokingly, like when he reportedly said recently, "I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval."

Unnamed administration officials told WSJ Trump often jokes about matters he later pursues seriously ... and the frequent references have led some to believe he might be genuinely considering the pardons. It's unclear why they'd need them.

Rep. Eric Swalwell -- who's running for Governor of California -- has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer ... this according to a new report.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a woman, who says she had sexual encounters with the congressman while she worked for him, claims he sexually assaulted her twice ... when she was too intoxicated to give consent.

Swalwell called the allegations "false" and threatened "legal action" in a statement on Friday, saying ... "For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."

California congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell is coming under fire for claims he's acted inappropriately with female staffers ... something he denies, but bailing on a town hall in the aftermath is raising eyebrows.

Several left-leaning influencers have recently made the unsubstantiated allegations, posting statements and videos on social media.

Swalwell's camp told POLITICO the claims are a "false, outrageous rumor" made by "flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists," saying the whole thing is an attempt to tank his gubernatorial run because he's "the frontrunner in this race."

Kamala Harris might take another crack at the Oval Office ... telling Reverend Al Sharpton she's thinking about launching a 2028 candidacy for president.

The former Vice President of the United States spoke at the National Action Network's conference in Manhattan on Friday ... and Sharpton came right out and asked if another run at the White House is in her future.

Harris laughs ... then confirms she's giving it some serious thought -- though she's clear she hasn't made a formal decision yet.

Brian Hooker almost vanished just like his wife Lynette ... after he fell overboard while handcuffed on his boat in police custody ... but he was saved in the nick of time, TMZ has learned.

The latest twist in Lynette Hooker's disappearance in the Bahamas kicked off late Wednesday night after Brian's arrest in connection with the case, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler. Butler tells TMZ she visited Brian Thursday night at the Central Police Station in Grand Bahama -- and Brian told her a harrowing story.

He said the police took him out on his boat under heavy rain and strong winds to search for Lynette. He said his hands were cuffed in front of him while gripping a change of clothes when, suddenly, he lost his footing as he moved sideways across the wet, unstable deck.

Melania Trump’s got a loyal voice backing her up ... because a top member of her staff is going to bat for her after her surprise Epstein denial speech to the nation yesterday.

Marc Beckman -- a senior advisor to the First Lady -- came in hot on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, echoing the First Lady’s stance that she had no close ties to Jeffrey Epstein ... but said he’s over the chatter, firing off a direct message: "Enough is enough."

He didn’t stop there -- Beckman pushed hard for a full pivot, saying the public should be focusing on Melania’s achievements instead of rehashing Epstein rumors ... urging people to be in awe of her impact across the board.

First Lady Melania Trump’s surprise national address from the White House yesterday -- rebutting claims she was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein -- is already getting major pushback from survivors of the late convicted pedophile.

In a sharp statement released Thursday night by Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), a group of survivors firmly declared ... "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."

In her speech, Melania urged Congress to hold a public hearing so survivors can testify about Epstein’s crimes ... but "Survivors have done their part," the new statement reads.

Laken Snelling -- the former University of Kentucky cheerleader who was charged in connection with her newborn's death -- entered a not guilty plea when she appeared before a judge Friday morning.

Her attorney told the judge ... "We are entering a not guilty plea." As you know, she has been charged with abusing a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

We've told you all about the case ... Snelling's college roommates allegedly found a deceased infant in Snelling's closet wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag ... while Snelling was on a trip to McDonald's after giving birth on August 27, 2025.

Some folks at the White House ain't happy about Melania Trump's Thursday statement in which she denied having any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.

A handful of officials were "stunned by the timing" of the First Lady's remarks, according to a Thursday tweet from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes.

She explained ... "One official said there was disagreement among those close to Melania Trump as to whether or not to go through with the remarks, given that the story had died down." But, the source noted Melania saw the stories still circulating and "wanted to go on the record with a firm denial."

The TikToker who was ordered to pay $10 million to the college professor for falsely accusing her of playing a role in the University of Idaho murders is fighting back in court ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, social media personality Ashley Guillard -- who goes by Ashley Solves Mysteries on TikTok -- compared the judgment entered against her to the “Salem Witch trials.”

Ashley claims she conducted a tarot card reading after the murders to get “information on who killed the students and why.”

She said her cards revealed to her that one of the slain students had a relationship with University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield and that Scofield "ordered the murders of the four students."

Brian Hooker -- the man arrested in the disappearance of his wife Lynette Hooker -- says he got separated from her due to heavy winds after she fell overboard Saturday night, according to a new report.

Two days after Lynette vanished at sea in the Bahamas, Brian was contacted via text by a buddy, Daniel Danforth, who checked in with him Monday after seeing all the headlines, CBS News reports.

Daniel cited a report about Lynette falling off the boat -- prompting Brian to reply, "The wind blew me away from her and she swam towards the sailboat and we lost sight of each other pretty quickly as it was just about sundown."

Rep. Randy Fine is clapping back at Dan Bilzerian for calling him a "fat Jew" ... telling us the influencer-turned-candidate's bigotry won't win at the polls, while also defending his own bigoted remarks against Muslims.

The congressman stopped by "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us he thinks Bilzerian is absolutely antisemitic, and only referred to his ethnicity that way to be disparaging.

Watch the clip ... Randy says Dan said what he said, "not because it's factual." Instead, he believes Bilzerian views Judaism "as some sort of negative thing."

In an unexpected national address from the White House Thursday, Melania Trump announced she never had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein ... alleging bad actors are attempting to ruin her reputation.

The First Lady of the United States spoke to the nation on camera from the White House moments ago ... saying she was never friends with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender -- and said she and President Donald Trump were simply invited to some of the same parties. She said she had no knowledge of any of Epstein's crimes.

She said, "To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice [Ghislaine] Maxwell" ... adding an email she sent Maxwell can only be seen as a polite reply.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... he who died for the world's sins?

That's right Jesus Christ himself -- or at least a dude pretending to be the Son of God in an Easter show -- got super high in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday ... and, we mean literally.

Check it out ... JC turns around to face the crowd and ascend into Heaven ... and, he ascended ... and ascended ... and ascended -- up, up and away!