How politicians spend money has always been a hot-button issue.
Given the complex reporting requirements put in place by the Federal Election Committee (FEC), anyone who tries to irresponsibly spend a donor’s money usually gets caught.
Case in point, this top Democrat Congressman spent thousands of campaign funds on alcohol and limo services.
Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell of California first made headlines last December when it was discovered he got cozy with an alleged Chinese spy.
Swalwell never denied the reports and handed over information on the Chinese spy to the FBI, but it did leave a mark on his career that will likely never go away.
Now the Congressman is in the headlines for a different reason, which looks even worse than SpyGate.
According to recently released FEC reports, Swalwell looks to have spent tens of thousands of campaign dollars on booze and limousine services.
While there is nothing illegal about paying for alcohol for a campaign event or using a car service to get around town, the amount that was spent by Swalwell is staggering.
The reports indicate that the campaign spent over $10,000 on 26 rides from various luxury car services, and over $26,000 was spent on luxury hotels.
This was all done in just the second quarter of the year.
It also looks like Swalwell’s campaign dropped more than $20,000 at the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay, where his wife has been the director of sales since 2015.
Convenient, to say the least.
Swalwell also reported spending funds on an alcohol delivery service nine separate times and seven times used campaign money at the Capitol Hill liquor store.
Again, it’s certainly possible that some of these charges are related to campaign events, but the booze delivery and liquor store don’t appear to be campaign-related in any way.
This is a gross misuse of funds that have been entrusted to the Congressman by his donors.
It was also reported earlier this month that Swalwell and his wife traveled to Qatar on an all-expense-paid trip that was bankrolled by the U.S. – Qatar Business Council.
The council is devoted to enhancing the bilateral business relationship between the U.S. and Qatar.
Politicians have misused campaign funds for decades. This is nothing new, but to be so blatant about it is abhorrent.
It’s almost as if Swalwell is rubbing it in people’s faces.
One can only hope that some of his donors will come to their senses and stop funding his extravagant lifestyle.
Stay tuned to Conservative Underground News for any updates to this ongoing story.