Exclusive | Eric Swalwell billed 100+ booze delivery charges to campaigns

Disgraced ex-congressman Eric Swalwell — who is accused of raping and sexually assaulting multiple women after nights of heavy drinking — billed an eye-watering amount of booze deliveries to his campaigns, including charges during a series of jaunts to Las Vegas. 

Over a four-year period starting in 2020, Swalwell’s donor-funded congressional campaigns recorded more than 100 separate charges with now-defunct alcohol delivery company Drizly, according to federal campaign disclosures — purchases that even caught his team off guard.

While the ex-congressman’s boozy campaign spending could be legal, “it might not be the best use of donor money,” Swalwell’s former chief of staff Alex Evans told the California Post.

“He knew exactly what he was doing.”

Swalwell’s Drizly spending alone accounted for roughly a quarter of all payments to the service from various candidates’ campaigns, political committees and PACs since 2019, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Campaign records show that his tab — totaling roughly $6,100 — also overlapped with him curiously taking multiple trips to Las Vegas in the summer of 2021. 

In July of that year, Swalwell racked up thousands of dollars in charges for hotel stays at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, a five-star hotel and casino. Swalwell appears to have visited the Cosmopolitan three times over a 10-day period that month — on July 9, 12 and 19.

During that period, he made several purchases from Drizly while also billing his campaign for a $117.54 charge at STK Steakhouse and a $439.57 bill at Jean Georges Steakhouse at Aria. Charges continued through July 19, including a $940.01 transaction at the Cosmopolitan, bringing the total cost of his time in Vegas over 10 days to more than $3,100.

Drizly was folded into Uber Eats in early 2024, and records show Swalwell’s congressional campaigns continued to use the Uber Eats food and drink delivery app more than 220 times after Drizly shut down, including as recently as this year. The charges, which don’t detail whether the purchases were for food and/or alcohol, totaled more than $19,000.

The Post’s review of congressional campaign filings found that Swalwell ramped up his alcohol purchases with Drizly starting in May 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, billing his donors 36 times for a total of $2,405 through the end of the year.

Sen. Ruben Gallego — who has been under fire for ignoring warning signs about Swalwell’s behavior, as the two commonly referred to each other as their “best friend” in Congress — was also a fan of Drizly. He recorded 14 different campaign charges with the alcohol delivery service worth $814 from 2022 to 2024.

Here’s the latest on the allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell

Multiple ethics experts told The Post that campaign spending rules are quite expansive, but Swalwell’s booze-buying raised eyebrows.

“In this case, the sheer number of alcohol purchases can raise some questions about whether the campaign funds were being used for a proper purpose,” Loyola Law School Professor Jessica Levinson told The Post.

“Somebody should sort out whether these purchases fall within election laws,” she added.

Swalwell’s lavish spending on drinks, meals and hotels — and even payments to himself — with a congressional campaign account have continued this year, well after he announced his run for governor.

The Post exclusively reported that Swalwell spent a staggering half-million dollars on hotels during his time in Congress.

Separate filings show that Swalwell paid himself almost $219,000 in campaign funds for childcare, security and other expenses since 2021, while also racking up more charges at traditional liquor stores.

“We’re not talking about somebody spending their own money,” Levinson said, adding that it’s “absolutely fair” to be scrutinizing Swalwell’s use of campaign funds after his resignation from Congress on Tuesday. “We’re talking about somebody spending donors’ money.”

Swalwell listed himself as his congressional campaign’s treasurer in a new filing on Friday.

The ex-congressman was the leading Democrat in the race for California governor until an unprecedented career last week following allegations of sexual misconduct.

After two bombshell reports in which several women lodged accusations that included rape, sexual assault, and other deviant behavior, Swalwell suspended his campaign and relinquished his seat in Congress. Meanwhile, he also became the focus of investigations by the Department of Justice and district attorneys in New York and Los Angeles.

Swalwell hired anti-MeToo movement attorney Sara Azari and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing while apologizing to his wife and family for “personal failings.”

“These accusations are false, fabricated, and deeply offensive,” Azari said in a statement, adding that the allegations are “a calculated and transparent political hit job designed to destroy the reputation of a man who has spent 20 years in public service.”

Four women who spoke to CNN described a pattern of inappropriate and, at times, aggressive behavior by Swalwell in social and political settings where alcohol was involved. The women said Swalwell became increasingly forward as he drank, making unwanted advances, attempting to initiate sexual contact, and, in some cases, creating situations they described as coercive or uncomfortable.

Separately, a former staffer who spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle described what she said was an encounter in which Swalwell, after drinking, made unwanted physical advances that she did not consent to. She also accused him of sexual assault.

On Tuesday, Lonna Drewes, a 50-year-old model, accused Swalwell of rape following what she described as a night involving alcohol. Drewes said she met Swalwell at events where he offered to help her business and later accompanied him to his hotel room, where she believes her drink was drugged after consuming alcohol. 

She alleged she became physically incapacitated and that Swalwell raped and choked her until she lost consciousness. Swalwell was married and his wife was pregnant at the time of the alleged incident. 

“He created a bodyguard of lies to protect himself and allow this behavior to continue,” Evans said.

“He’s one of the world’s greatest liars ever.”

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