WASHINGTON — Sen. Ruben Gallego is facing fresh allegations of misspending campaign funds after records show he billed $2,000 for flights for his sister-in-law and au pair — with the new details emerging as the Justice Department reportedly probes the Democrat’s possible misuse of donor contributions.
Previously unreported records reviewed by The Post indicate that the then-senator-elect’s campaign spent $1,227 on airfare in late 2024 for his sister-in-law to visit Washington and another $777.91 for Gallego’s Brazilian au pair to fly in from Mexico City ahead of his January 2025 swearing-in.
Then-Rep. Gallego (D-Ariz.) also billed his campaign $661.51 for custom stationery to announce his daughter’s birth in July 2023.
Gallego’s office claimed the flights by both the au pair and sister-in-law were related to child care, which federal rules allow to be reimbursed in some cases.
The birth announcements “were sent to the campaign’s donors and supporters, as a token of appreciation and a way to keep donors and supporters engaged in then-Congressman Gallego’s campaign,” his office said.
Gallego has two children with his current wife, Sydney, and a son with his first wife, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, whom the senator left in 2016 during her pregnancy.
The new revelations come two months after reports by Politico and the New York Times revealed Gallego blew tens of thousands of dollars in leadership PAC and campaign funds on family trips — and reporting by Axios and CBS News that the Justice Department is investigating that spending.
The criminal investigation is believed to be at an early stage, but a source familiar with Gallego’s profligate expensing said that the details reported by The Post could bolster allegations of wrongdoing.
“A ‘family members systematically benefited’ frame is more chargeable and more presentable to a grand jury than isolated trips,” this person said.
“Mother-in-law (childcare payments), sister-in-law (flights), au pair (flights), spouse (18 flights, the car). This completes the set.”
The long list of previously reported family trips billed to the campaign included visits to both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California and to the exclusive islands of St. Barts in the Caribbean and Nantucket in Massachusetts, plus the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona.
The Times reported that Sydney Gallego used a campaign-leased SUV for personal errands, which the outlet described as a likely violation of federal rules, while her mother was paid $400 for babysitting.
His sister-in-law’s reason for traveling to DC is unclear and is the “fishiest” newly revealed expense, a campaign finance attorney told The Post, requesting anonymity to speak candidly. Gallego’s relative did not respond to a request for comment on the reason for the trip.
The expert said candidates are in some cases allowed to use campaign funds to cover travel for immediate relatives — if there is an arguable campaign or official purpose.
“All of those [new examples] would potentially raise issues,” the attorney summed up, but “in the end, you need to have a crime.”
It was unclear why Gallego campaign paid for his au pair to fly from Mexico City to Washington, though the senator was himself scheduled to visit the Mexican capital in December 2024.
“My gut sense would be, ‘Yeah, there’s a little smoke there, and it may be worth investigating.’ But I would be reluctant to immediately start shouting ‘fire,’” the campaign finance expert said. “It’s tough to prove criminal violations in a lot of these kind of situations.”
The source explained that campaigns tend to give Federal Election Commission advisory opinions the broadest possible interpretation — allowing them an opening to avoid prosecution, which requires knowingly and willfully misspending money in violation of the law.
Still, the Justice Department has convicted lawmakers for misspending campaign funds in the past,
Former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) was sentenced to 11 months in prison in 2020 for misappropriating $250,000 in campaign funds, including to buy groceries, movie tickets, video games and vacations, including airfare for his pet rabbits Eggburt and Cadbury.
Gallego’s office dismissed suggestions that the newly surfaced spending could point to wrongdoing.
“This is yet another tired effort by the New York Post to slander Senator Gallego for being guilty of balancing being a present father and working senator. Like many Americans, the senator and his wife rely on family to step up and help when needed,” his spokesman said.
Still, the expanding controversy has had a significant political effect on Gallego.
A Democratic strategist told The Post that the freshman senator — once viewed as a promising possible 2028 presidential candidate — “is done in my mind.”
In addition to his campaign spending controversy, Gallego has been diminished by the downfall of his former best friend in Congress, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who resigned in April after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or assault.
Gallego has privately admitted to having sexual relationships with at least two House aides for different lawmakers during his decade in the lower chamber, The Post reported last month — spurring a bipartisan push endorsed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to further restrict sexual relations between lawmakers and staff.
Some congressional officials refer to the proposed new standards as the “Gallego Act.”
“Every minute we are talking about his scandals is a minute we are not talking to voters about the economy,” the Democratic strategist said.
The DOJ’s reported investigation “puts him dead in the water and living in limbo.”
A different Democratic operative said Gallego has “faded from any 2028 conversations,” adding: “He’s kryptonite.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
