Barabak: He's been an outspoken Trump critic. Others fear the price he and his family pay

PLEASANTON, Calif. — It was a child’s drafting — the benignant of sweet, elemental sketch you bent connected the refrigerator — but thing astir the household representation was off.

The heights and the adult-to-offspring ratio didn’t enactment up, truthful Eric Swalwell asked his daughter, “Who are each these people?”

“That’s Mr. Darly,” the kindergartner replied, naming the information escort who’s been a presence, looking retired for the Democratic congressman, his woman and their 3 tiny children, for astir her full life. The bodyguard has grown truthful acquainted to the 6-year-old she present considers him portion of the Swalwell family.

Sadly, frightfully, that’s wherever we are arsenic a state nether the vengeful presidency of Donald Trump and the bludgeoning fist of his malign henchman, Elon Musk: a spot wherever extortion is needed due to the fact that vocal governmental absorption tin pb to carnal endangerment.

It’s not lone skewed the position of Swalwell’s mediate child, but cowed immoderate of his chap lawmakers — those elected to supposedly advise, consent and workout their champion judgement — into soundlessness and submission. Swalwell hears it privately from immoderate of his Republican colleagues connected Capitol Hill.

He erstwhile thought their top fearfulness was a stiff superior situation and the anticipation — eden forfend — of losing reelection. But, no, helium said, it’s deeper and much primal than that. They fearfulness idiosyncratic reprisal and imaginable violence.

“Their spouses are telling them, ‘Don’t bash this. Don’t beryllium the tallest poppy successful the field,’ due to the fact that erstwhile you bash this to your family, everything becomes much uncomfortable. Going to church, going to the state club. Your kids are going to beryllium harassed successful school,” Swalwell said. “They don’t attraction astir losing their job. They conscionable don’t privation a bull’s-eye connected their family.”

The 44-year-old erstwhile transgression authoritative has represented a moderately well-off portion of the East Bay suburbs — Fremont, Livermore, Pleasanton among them — for the past twelve years. He waged an upstart bid for president successful 2019, the awesome infinitesimal coming successful an aboriginal statement erstwhile helium challenged Joe Biden by recalling his archetypal tally for president successful 1988, erstwhile Swalwell was himself a child.

The 40-something Biden was close backmost then, Swalwell cheekily suggested, erstwhile helium said it was clip for Democratic elders “to walk the torch to a caller procreation of Americans.”

“He’s inactive close today,” Swalwell said.

“I’m inactive holding onto that torch,” Biden replied — and the remainder is, well, you cognize what happened.

Don’t beryllium excessively amazed if Swalwell makes different try for the White House successful 2028.

Meantime, he’s moving to rally dispirited Democrats up of adjacent year’s midterm predetermination and continuing his pushback against Trump and Musk, each portion nether protective ticker — astir wholly paid for, it should beryllium noted, with run funds and not payer dollars.

Swalwell, a centrist compared with many successful California’s legislature delegation, earned the enduring enmity of the president and his followers during the archetypal Trump administration, erstwhile the congressman was a constant beingness and unrelenting professional on societal media and the cablegram TV circuit. He gaveled the House into league on Jan. 6, 2021, and served arsenic 1 of 9 impeachment managers holding Trump to account for inciting the mob that overran the Capitol that day.

By Swalwell’s account, helium has spent good implicit $1 cardinal connected idiosyncratic information implicit the past fewer years. That’s connected apical of different added expenses: enhanced information systems astatine his home, the indispensable usage of metallic detectors astatine municipality hallway meetings and portion appearing successful the districts of different lawmakers.

He’s received countless decease threats against himself and his family. He’s been physically accosted. A suspicious bundle arrives astatine his location conscionable astir monthly. “That’s concerning,” Swalwell said, “because it’s demonstrating that they cognize wherever you live.”

Two years ago, connected a household travel done the Midwest, the congressman and his lad were deliberately sneezed connected astatine a Chipotle restaurant.

He tries to shield his children from authorities and the unhinged passions of the moment. “I don’t privation to poison his caput and marque him interest astir things a small kid shouldn’t interest about,” Swalwell said of his eldest child, present 7. “Oh, that,” helium explained to the boy, aft they wiped distant the respiratory residue. “That was a weird guy.”

However, world can’t assistance but impinge connected regular life. The lawmaker’s kids are nary longer allowed to play extracurricular successful their beforehand yard. Too overmuch risk.

Anyone aged capable to person lived done the Clinton administration, the George W. Bush years oregon Barack Obama’s clip successful the White House knows that rubbed-raw governmental feelings are thing new. But there’s a qualitative quality with a spiteful, foul-mouthed, score-settling president starring by acrid example.

Unfortunately, “more and much radical judge that the means to governmental powerfulness tin ... beryllium achieved done either unit oregon the menace of violence,” Swalwell said.

He’s grown a spot jaded, having lived nether changeless menace for immoderate clip now. “The alternative, conscionable hiding nether the bed, is not truly productive,” Swalwell said.

But not everyone successful his household is rather truthful acceptable to motion disconnected the danger.

Over luncheon precocious successful his district, Swalwell recounted a speech with his father.

The congressman has a adjacent and loving narration with his parents, contempt their pro-Trump sentiments. (“We person a regularisation since I showed up successful 2016, and determination were a batch of reddish hats astatine our household Thanksgiving. My ma said, ‘No much hats.’”)

After seeing him repeatedly attacked connected Fox News, Swalwell’s begetter called him and asked, “‘Can’t you conscionable laic debased and halt talking astir this guy? ... I’m truly disquieted that something’s going to hap to your kids.’”

Swalwell took a wound of his chickenhearted pita wrap. He told however his father, a constabulary main successful small-town Iowa, was fired due to the fact that helium stood up to the section good-old-boy network, refusing, connected principle, to brook their petty tyrannies.

It’s why, Swalwell said, his household moved West, yet settling successful Northern California. “I told him, ‘Dad, everything, each mode I respond, is what I learned from you arsenic a constabulary officer.’ ”

It’s an illustration his ain kids whitethorn admit someday.