Ethics panel clears Gallego as Luna declares, 'Once a creep, always a creep'

The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint against Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., that alleged the lawmaker committed sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. 

The probe was spurred by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who earlier this year charged that there were "very disturbing" allegations against a sitting senator in the wake of the scandal-filled downfall of former-Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a close friend of Gallego’s. 

But after a nearly monthlong investigation into the matter, the committee told Gallego in a letter on Monday that there wasn’t evidence to back up Luna’s claims. 

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"We are writing to inform you that the Select Committee on Ethics (the Committee) dismissed a complaint filed against you by Representative Anna Paulina Luna," the panel stated. "Specifically, the complaint alleged campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature." 

"In response to your request for an investigation, the Committee referred these allegations to you and requested additional information on April 17 and May 15, 2026," the letter continued. "Based on the investigation of the Committee, the Committee did not find evidence that your actions violated Federal law, Senate Rules, or related standards of conduct." 

Gallego said in a statement that the Ethics Committee’s decision "reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House and their allies."

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"I look forward to an apology from Rep. Luna for weaponizing the ethics process while refusing to investigate historic corruption that’s making life harder for families," Gallego said. "In the meantime, I will continue fighting for Arizonans and holding Trump Republicans accountable for high costs and new wars." 

But an apology from Luna is unlikely. 

The lawmaker shot back on X that the allegations "are not conspiracy theories. You’re a gross example of representation."

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"Need I mention you leaving your pregnant wife during your campaign for Senate? There are plenty of people who know about your antics," Luna said. 

"The good news about D.C. is everyone talks, and eventually the reporters come forward with your texts," she continued. "Do yourself a favor and keep raising for your legal defense fund. Once a creep, always a creep, and you’re gonna need it."

Luna’s allegations against Gallego came shortly after Swalwell resigned from the House following a bombshell report from The San Francisco Chronicle that the ex-lawmaker allegedly sexually assaulted a former staffer.

Gallego moved to quickly put distance between himself and Swalwell and argued that his tight-knit relationship "clouded my judgment," regarding rumors that swirled about the ex-lawmaker for years in Washington, D.C.

Gallego has recently come under scrutiny for a report from Politico that he spent thousands in campaign cash on luxury travel, Super Bowl tickets and childcare. 

"This is not breaking news," Gallego told the outlet. "With the rising costs of childcare and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC."