Swalwell Criticized Online Following Dispute with Ben Shapiro

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) faced a brutal backlash on social media after attempting to challenge Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. The hearing, centered on alleged efforts to silence conservative media, saw Swalwell derail the discussion with unrelated policy questions aimed at Shapiro.

Swalwell kicked off his questioning by probing Shapiro's stance on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a presidential transition proposal that has become a focal point for critics of conservatives and Donald Trump. “The country in the last couple of weeks has talked about, googled Project 2025 … and you’re not going to get any censorship from me, so I just wanted to know from your perspective, I think it would help us understand, on just like a scale of 0-100 percent, how much do you support Project 2025?” Swalwell asked.

Shapiro, unfazed, responded, “I think like President Trump, I haven’t looked all that deeply at Project 2025,” before sarcastically adding that Democrats seemed to believe repeatedly mentioning the project would somehow revive their presidential prospects, akin to Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.

• Swalwell's Line of Questioning: Continuing his attempt to unsettle Shapiro, Swalwell asked about his positions on immigration, abortion, and social security—topics unrelated to the hearing’s focus. Shapiro, maintaining his composure, answered each question and questioned their relevance. Swalwell then highlighted a 2018 quote from Shapiro about homosexual activity being a sin. Shapiro’s succinct reply, “Yes, I’m a religious Jew. You found me out. I agree with me,” left little room for rebuttal.

• Committee Reaction: Acting Judiciary Committee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) cut in after Swalwell’s time expired, quipping, “The gentleman’s time is expired, and I remind him the first rule of holes: when you’re in one, stop digging.”

The interaction quickly went viral, with conservative commentators celebrating Shapiro’s deft handling of Swalwell.

Radio host Hugh Hewitt praised Shapiro’s restraint in not mentioning Swalwell’s alleged past relationship with a Chinese spy, Fang Fang, and commended McClintock’s closing remark. Sean Spicer humorously noted, “Swalwell should have remembered that old Sean Connery line: Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.” Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen also chimed in, calling Shapiro a “national treasure.”

Swalwell's attempt to sidetrack the hearing not only backfired but also provided a platform for Shapiro to demonstrate his rhetorical skills and for conservative voices to unite in their critique of the California Democrat.

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