California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell’s campaign has come under scrutiny after records revealed tens of thousands of dollars were spent on alcohol, fine dining, limousines and a luxury hotel during the second quarter of this year. The spending, which occurred in a non-election year for a safe-seat congressman, may reflect his growing influence within the party.
Federal Election Commission filings show the campaign paid $21,200.75 in six transactions at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay in April. Swalwell’s wife, Brittany, was the hotel’s director of transient sales from February 2015 to December 2019, according to her now-removed LinkedIn profile.
The campaign also spent over $10,000 on car services, including more than $6,000 in 21 transactions with Sunny’s Executive Sedan in New York City between May and June. Over $2,100 was spent at Charlie Palmer’s, a Washington DC steakhouse, on seven occasions, while $566.04 went on alcohol deliveries via Drizly across nine transactions.
Swalwell, who entered the House in 2013, has been linked to an alleged Chinese spy, Fang Fang, who reportedly made contact with him and slept with two mayors between 2011 and 2015. While Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy described Swalwell as a “national security threat” and called for his removal from the Intelligence Committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed no concerns, stating that the matter was resolved in 2015.
Swalwell’s profile has risen since his brief 2020 presidential bid, and he served as an impeachment manager during Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. Earlier this month, he joined four other House members on a trip to Qatar funded by the US-Qatar Business Council, costing $84,621.59, which was approved by the House Ethics Committee.
