The IRS sent a congressman to prison for spending campaign money on himself.
Eric Swalwell just blew $75,000 of donor money on hotels, food, and Uber rides after quitting his race.
Now he wants to know why anyone would care.
Swalwell Spent $75,000 on Hotels and Booze After Quitting His Race
Swalwell dropped his congressional reelection bid in November to run for California governor instead.
Under federal campaign finance law, that's where his legal right to spend donor money essentially ended.
The rules are narrow: leftover funds from an abandoned race can cover legitimate wind-down costs, go to other candidates, or be donated to charity.
Hotels are not on that list.
Neither are Uber rides, restaurant tabs, airfare, or $5,091 in payments to his live-in Brazilian nanny.
Swalwell spent every dollar of that $75,000 anyway – in a single quarter.
When the New York Post confronted him with the FEC filings, he didn't deny a single line item.
He asked why anyone would have the nerve to bring it up.
https://twitter.com/sgtnewsnetwork/status/2044473401696268628?s=20
He's also still sitting on $288,600 in his campaign account and another $32,000 in his Remedy PAC.
Swalwell Paid His Nanny With Donor Money While DHS Investigated Her Work Authorization
The childcare payments aren't just a campaign finance question.
The Department of Homeland Security is already investigating Swalwell and his wife Brittany for allegedly employing nanny Amanda Barbosa without valid work authorization for two years.
This is the same Eric Swalwell who spent years on the House Intelligence Committee demanding accountability from everyone around Donald Trump.
He pointed fingers at people for years.
Then he paid his nanny out of donor money while DHS investigated whether she was even legally allowed to work in this country.
https://twitter.com/MichaelARothman/status/2044459423243092223?s=20
The audacity would be impressive if it weren't so infuriating.
Swalwell Resigned From Congress After Democrats Turned on Him
The timeline here matters.
On April 10, Swalwell posted a video flatly denying sexual assault allegations against him – called them "flat false" and vowed to fight.
Within days, his fellow Democrats and former staffers were pushing him to quit.
He suspended his gubernatorial campaign, apologized for "mistakes in judgment," and announced he was resigning from Congress.
All of this happened while he was still spending donor money on restaurants and car rides.
The FEC violations didn't end his career.
The sexual assault allegations didn't end his career.
His own party turning on him did.
That tells you everything about how serious Democrats thought the allegations were – serious enough to make him a liability, not serious enough for them to have said anything earlier.
Democrats Ate Their Own and Here Is Why
Jesse Jackson Jr. went to prison in 2013 for spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses – fur capes, a Rolex, Michael Jackson memorabilia.
Duncan Hunter was indicted in 2018 for using $250,000 in campaign money on family vacations, school tuition, and personal travel.
Both men thought nobody would look either.
Swalwell's former staffers and fellow Democrats didn't push him out because they suddenly discovered principles.
They pushed him out because he became a liability – and the moment he became a liability, every dollar of that $75,000 became ammunition.
That's the thing about spending donor money on Uber rides and babysitters while DHS is already at your door.
You don't just break the law.
You hand your own party the knife.
His answer to the Post – "Why would you f****** care?" – tells you exactly who Eric Swalwell thought he was.
The voters who funded that campaign found out who he actually is.
Sources:
- "Eric Swalwell Spent $75K of Campaign Cash on Hotels, Booze, Nannies – Then Told Reporter to 'F*** Off,'" New York Post, April 18, 2026.
- "Swalwell Suspends Governor Campaign, Resigns From Congress Amid Sexual Assault Allegations," Breitbart News, April 2026.
- "Swalwell Leaves Congress With $288K in Campaign Funds," Daily Mail, April 2026.
- Amy Furr, "Democrat Eric Swalwell Burned $75,000 of Defunct Campaign's Money on Hotels, Food, and Uber Rides," Breitbart News, April 18, 2026.