The Justice Department has launched an investigation into Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona for possible campaign finance violations. The probe was triggered by a whistleblower complaint filed in Southern California, according to CBS News, which cited multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The investigation centers on Gallego's use of campaign funds since 2019, including spending on family trips. Federal Election Commission records show that Gallego billed his campaign accounts for travel to Puerto Rico, Nantucket, Miami and other locations.
Federal records also show that in 2023, a political action committee set up by Gallego and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California spent over $37,000 on tickets and meals for the Super Bowl. That committee has since been terminated. Gallego previously told Fox News that the PAC held a fundraiser connected to the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, to raise money for his election. His team told The New York Times that other trips were also for fundraising purposes.
Gallego has denied campaign finance wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime. He has not been contacted by the Justice Department about any potential or ongoing probe, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the situation. Subjects of Justice Department investigations are not typically notified in the early stages and often find out about probes when an indictment is sought, or when records are subpoenaed or seized through a court-authorized search.
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April and ended his bid for California governor after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.
A spokesman for Gallego dismissed the investigation as politically motivated. "Trump is targeting Senator Gallego while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump's unprecedented corruption," the spokesman said. "It's the least surprising news of the week that this comes immediately after the Senate Ethics Committee cleared Senator Gallego of rightwing smears pushed by the administration weeks ago." A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment.
Caleb Burns, a partner at the law firm of Wiley Rein and co-chair of its Election Law and Government Ethics practice, told CBS News that an investigation into impermissible personal use of campaign funds is highly fact-specific and will depend on the extent to which there is a link to a campaign purpose. "Members of Congress will routinely spend campaign funds to travel or go to an event because there is a clear campaign purpose associated with it, for example, a campaign fundraising event they are attending," Burns said. "The more attenuated the campaign connection, th" the more difficult the legal case becomes.
