California Representative Swalwell accused of using campaign money for personal expenses

The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) filed a Federal Elections Commission (FEC) complaint on Thursday against California Representative Eric Swalwell for using his campaign to pay for personal expenses.

"The American people rightfully expect elected officials to spend their time in Washington serving constituents instead of themselves," said AAF director Matthew Buckham in a statement for Fox News. "We all see through political elites like Eric Swalwell, who think they are above the law to use campaign funds as a private piggy bank for their own personal leisure and entertainment."

The complaint claims that Swalwell’s campaign had "anomalies in campaign expenditures that raise troubling questions as to whether campaign disbursements went towards personal use or to the direct benefit of family members."

"These anomalies include what appears to be preloading of campaign dollars to a Starbucks account and/or gift cards, paying a family member over $17,000 for 'childcare', attending the musical Beach Blanket Babylon, and personal medical testing for COVID-19, among others," says the complaint.

"Expenditures adding up to tens of thousands of dollars made by the Swalwell Committee point to behavior unrelated to the campaign of Rep. Swalwell," the complaint reads. "Based on its supervisory authority, the FEC should use their investigative ability, including the use of an audit, to examine violations of law by the Swalwell Committee."

In July, there was a report that Swalwell’s campaign had spent more than $500,00 during the second quarter of the year. The expenses included alcohol, dinners, limousines and hotels, according to records.

Swalwell spent around $21,000 at the Ritz-Carlton in northern California, $11,000 on car services, $7,000 at high-end restaurants, and $566 on the alcohol delivery service Drizzly, according to receipts filed with the FEC.  

It is unclear how many of the receipts filed with the FEC were campaign-related.