Swalwell's fall from grace sparks Democrat rush to return campaign contributions amid scrutiny
Democratic incumbents and candidates in the House and Senate are facing calls from Republicans to return money they received from disgraced Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, and many of them have rushed to do so in light of the allegations of sexual assault that caused him to drop out of the California governor race and resign from Congress.
Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign was derailed on Friday evening after several allegations of sexual misconduct against him were published around the same time, prompting several high-profile Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff, to denounce his campaign.
More than a dozen Democrats have returned money received from Swalwell, Politico reported on Monday, including many running in critical battleground races in the House and Senate. Some of the names who have returned money include North Carolina Senate candidate Roy Cooper, Minnesota Senate candidate Angie Craig and incumbent House Reps. Dan Goldman and Dave Min.
Swalwell's Remedy PAC has given over $20,000 to Democratic candidates in the 2024 cycle and over $170,000 to current Democrats in Congress, and it appears most, if not all, of that money will ultimately be returned, with many announcing the funds will be donated to charities benefiting sexual assault victims.
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Rep. Josh Riley, D-N.Y., considered one of the more vulnerable Democrat incumbents running in November, is returning the $3,000 he received from Swalwell by donating $1,000 to three different local charitable organizations that support women, survivors and their families, a spokesperson from his office told Fox News Digital Tuesday morning, adding that the checks were sent on Monday.
Republicans have taken issue with the Democrats who have yet to return the money from Swalwell.
"If Democrats had any standards left, this would be an easy call," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. "But when it’s one of their own, accountability gets buried faster than the story. Every single vulnerable House Democrat must return the filthy creep cash or own the rot they’re protecting."
Additionally, some Republicans have pointed to the amount of time it took for the money to be returned, given rumors that have been circulating around the disgraced congressman for weeks.
"I find it appalling that Rebecca Cooke would wait to renounce the endorsement from the disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell until she received tremendous heat from the media," Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican running in a hotly contested primary, told Politico in reference to his Democratic opponent. "This is not leadership, this is political convenience for her."
Democrats have pushed back, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), who in recent weeks has been calling out Republicans who took money from Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who on Monday announced his intention to resign from Congress after he admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
"The hacks at the NRCC who are currently defending Cory Mills and spent six-figures just last month to protect Tony Gonzales should sit this one out," DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It’s Democrats who are actually standing up and calling for accountability in Congress — consistently and independent of party."
Fox News Digital reached out to several Democrats who, as of Tuesday morning, did not appear to have publicly commented on receiving Swalwell money, including Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who received a total of $2,000 from Swalwell’s Remedy PAC since 2023. Suozzi is currently running for re-election in one of the most closely watched House races in the country in New York's 3rd District which Cook Political Report ranks as "Lean D."
Fox News Digital reached out to Suozzi's campaign for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Alaska’s Mary Peltola, who is running for Senate as a Democrat in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as "Lean R," which could end up deciding the balance of power in the Senate, received a total of $8,000 from Remedy PAC in the past: $2,000 in October 2023, another $2,000 reported in her 2023 year-end filing and $4,000 more in her amended 2024 post-general report.
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"Peltola has been absolutely SILENT," Senate Leadership Fund, the top super PAC supporting Republican incumbents and candidates in the Senate, posted on X on Monday. "When will she call for his resignation and return the money?"
On Tuesday morning, a Peltola spokesperson said she has not accepted money from Swalwell during the current cycle and that she will return the money she received from previous campaign cycles in the form of a donation to a charity benefitting victims of domestic violence.
"Alaskans for Mary has not accepted any contributions or endorsement from Swalwell this cycle, and will be donating $8,000 – equivalent to contributions from previous cycles – to the Tundra Women’s Coalition," the spokesperson said. "Mary was disturbed to learn of these allegations and takes all reports of sexual assault and harassment very seriously. She believes these claims should be thoroughly investigated, and the legal system should hold responsible parties accountable."
An up-and-coming progressive candidate in the Democratic Party, Ammar Campa-Najjar, is running for Congress in California’s 48th Congressional District, and records show he has taken $6,000 from Remedy PAC since 2020. Campa-Najjar disavowed Swalwell's endorsement but did not appear to have publicly commented on the funds until Tuesday morning when a spokesperson said the campaign intends to donate the funds to a charitable cause.
Swalwell announced Monday he will officially resign from office after his sexual misconduct allegations triggered a surge of lawmakers calling for his expulsion over the weekend.
The California lawmaker said he is still firmly denying the serious allegations against him as "false," but added that his resignation reflects him taking "responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it is investigating Swalwell amid "allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision."