Campaign donations are supposed to go toward just that – a politician’s campaign expenses.
Most incumbents get most of their campaign funds from major PACs, which don’t really care how the money is spent, they just make the contributions to buy influence.
And now Eric Swalwell just got caught red-handed having tons of fun with money that isn’t his.
Eric Swalwell spent thousands on luxuries
Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell of California has used thousands of his campaign dollars to travel the world and stay in posh hotels.
His campaign has regularly utilized his campaign money to pay for things like flights, yachts, and even limousines.
The money has also paid for luxurious hotels located outside of his own district including several international stays.Â
Swalwell has stayed in several luxury hotels in a variety of cities throughout the United Kingdom in the third quarter.
The information comes from his campaign’s most recent filings, which were carefully reviewed by Fox News Digital.
One example includes when Swalwell’s campaign spent over $1,600 at the Biltmore Mayfair in London in August and September.
This high-end resort is located in the “prestigious Grosvenor Square,” and according to its website, it provides “opulent accommodations and a prime location for exploring the capital.”
But this luxury hotel stay isn’t the only thing Swalwell spent money on – the campaign also spent over $900 around the same time at the Kensington Hotel in central London.
The hotel features “cozy rooms” starting at $400 to luxe suites that can cost most customers around $1,000 or more per night.
Swalwell’s committee also spent $361 in London at a high-end steak restaurant called the CUT At 45 Park Lane, as well as hundreds of dollars more on the London Northeastern Railway.
But these expenses are just what his campaign spent on foreign soil – they also spent thousands of dollars on hotels located far outside of his California district.
Some of the U.S. hotels include Loews Hotel Miami Beach, the Times Square Edition, the Conrad New York Midtown, the Gwen Hotel in Chicago, and the Baranof Downtown Hotel in Alaska.
Ironically, Swalwell’s campaign only has three paid staffers, but that didn’t stop him from spending a wad of cash on travel accommodations.
This isn’t the first time
The recent expenses in London aren’t the first time Eric Swalwell’s campaign has spent money internationally this election cycle.
The campaign also reported close to $1,200 in charges at a five-star hotel in Germany called Roomers Munich, which features “extravagant rooms and suites with an elegant wood, dark marble, mirrored bathroom.”
In Germany, the committee spent $663 at the Westin Grand Berlin, an upscale hotel, while hundreds more went to pay for a stay at the Berlin Marriott Hotel and the DB Fernverkeher, a long-distance passenger train.
According to campaign finance records, Swalwell’s campaign also spent over $5,000 on a luxury New York-based car service that provides limos, luxury cars, and SUVs.
For this car service alone, his campaign has paid over $27,000 in 2023 thus far and over $44,000 during the prior election cycle.
Swalwell has spent more campaign funds on travel and luxury hotels than then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the 2022 election cycle.
To put things into perspective, Pelosi reported $434,000 in travel expenses, while Swalwell clocked nearly $583,000.
In the last cycle, Swalwell’s committee spent thousands of dollars in Paris, France at an assortment of expensive hotels with rooms running from $1,000 to a staggering $1,800 per night.Â
The IRS does not look at campaign funds as personal income because this money is not supposed to be used for financing a posh lifestyle, but Rep. Swalwell is apparently an exception to this rule.
Informed American will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
