This editor still considers Sen. Mazie Hirono the dumbest member of Congress, but Rep. Eric Swalwell is always hovering around the top five. He's decided his main job in Congress is to be a troll on X when he's not farting on cable news. The Washington Free Beacon did some digging and found that Swalwell's campaign —no, not his pathetic presidential campaign — spent $42,000 of campaign funds on childcare in the five months since the election.
Eric Swalwell's campaign spent $42k on "childcare" for his kids in the 5 months after the election.
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) April 22, 2025
Candidates can use campaign $$ for childcare, but only when related to campaign activity. Not much campaigning going on after Nov. 5. https://t.co/TT5opPygyn
Huh.
Chuck Ross reports:
According to campaign finance records, the Swalwell campaign spent $42,321 on "childcare" from Nov. 8, three days after the election, to March 31. The payments, which are roughly equal to the median American annual income, went to two of the Swalwell family’s longtime babysitters, and Bambini Play & Learning Center, a Washington, D.C.-area Spanish language immersion preschool where tuition is around $3,000 per month.
…
The Federal Election Commission permits political candidates to use campaign funds to cover the costs of childcare and babysitters, but only for expenses incurred in connection with their campaigns. But the post-election period is typically slow for most lawmakers, many of whom take vacation after the brutal months of the campaign trail or re-focus attention on legislative duties.
"If the spending is not directly related to campaign activities, then it is a personal expense—and it is illegal to use campaign funds for personal expenses," said Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a conservative watchdog group. She noted there is little oversight on campaign spending, making it difficult to determine whether the expenditures are above-board.
Nothing will happen to him. The Free Beacon notes this isn't the first time Swalwell has been accused of using his campaign funds as his personal piggy bank, spending on "luxury hotels, swanky restaurants, and luxury car services."
Swalwell, who used $50k campaign funds to buy Super Bowl tickets for him and his wife last year, always spends heavily on childcare through campaign.
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) April 22, 2025
He's rivaled only by his shirtless friend, Ruben Gallego, who paid $6k in December to "Au Pair in America."
Totally illegal.
— Solena1207🇺🇸 (@solena1207) April 22, 2025
I guess Fang Fang wasn't available to babysit?
— 🔫🔥¿Theorhetorical?🔥 🔫 (@Theorhetorical) April 23, 2025
How is tuition for his children’s school in Washington DC related to his campaign? He represents CA voters on the other side of the country. I think Eric is violating some campaign finance laws.
— Shanna ❤️🇺🇸🏊♀️ (@Emily_lvs1) April 23, 2025
Nothing will happen
— Lars (@LarsLoathesLies) April 22, 2025
As we said.
$42K in five months? How many nannies did he have working for him?
— WhatsNewsHere (@WhatsNewsHere) April 23, 2025
Make him pay it back. Every nickel.
Where is your evidence? And why the hell are you doxxing children?
— Ash ✌🏼it’s all happening (@AshleyBK7) April 23, 2025
Why yes, looking at publicly available campaign finance records is "doxxing children."
Do we need any more evidence that Swalwell is a creep and corrupt?
— Rob Eddie (@RobEddie1) April 23, 2025
$42K for 5 months of childcare? Is he putting them up in the Four Seasons with a personal nanny and private tutors? So infuriating the money these clowns steal from us for doing literally nothing other than preening and screwing everything up.
— Travel by the Mile (@TravelbytheCoin) April 22, 2025
These people live large and they aren’t going to stop themselves
— Mike (@michaeljashmore) April 23, 2025
Reportedly, his wife makes bank, so they should be able to afford childcare. We don't know or care how many children Swalwell has, but we know Congress has on-site daycare, which came up when Rep. Brittany Pettersen kept bringing her infant son to the floor of the House, arguing that new mothers should be eligible for proxy voting.
Swalwell should just send his kids to public school and let the teachers watch over them.
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