Former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is facing renewed scrutiny after a new federal campaign finance filing showed his political committee spent $76,900 during the first three months of 2026 despite the fact that he had already exited the California governor’s race months earlier.
According to the filing, “Swalwell for Congress” reported expenses between Jan. 1 and March 31 even though Swalwell ended his gubernatorial bid in November. The spending report became public days after he also resigned from Congress amid a separate political controversy.
The filing lists a wide range of expenditures, including childcare payments, hotel stays, restaurants, travel, rideshare services, technology subscriptions, gifts, and private club charges.
One of the biggest points of controversy involves payments made to Amanda Barbosa, identified in the report as the family’s Brazilian nanny.
According to the filing, Barbosa received thousands of dollars in campaign funds during the first quarter of 2026. Previous records cited in the report said she received $46,930 from campaign funds in 2022. Another estimate placed childcare-related campaign spending at approximately $72,000 during 2025.
Swalwell and his wife, Brittany Watts, are also reportedly facing allegations tied to Barbosa’s immigration status.
Complaints referenced in the report claim Barbosa was legally authorized to work from January 2021 through December 2022. Critics allege she continued working afterward while immigration sponsorship paperwork was pending. No criminal finding has been reported in connection with those claims.
The filing also showed multiple charges to Stanford Hotels Corporation in San Francisco, including six separate charges of $1,598 spread across two dates in February.
Additional listed spending included $44 at Harry’s Reserve liquor store in Washington, $293 and $198.40 at Talay Thai restaurant in Sacramento, and charges of $664 and $520 at The Battery.
Records also showed $637 paid to Cook Construction LLC for internet and television services.
The report further listed numerous charges for Uber and Uber Eats, along with payments to airlines, Google, Apple, Zoom, See’s Candies, and Spoonful of Comfort, a company known for gift packages, per the Daily Mail.
Under Federal Election Commission rules, campaign committees may continue spending money after a race ends for certain approved purposes. Those can include office closure costs, recordkeeping, travel, winding-down expenses, gifts, and some childcare costs related to campaign duties.
That means the core issue may be political rather than legal.
Swalwell is already under heavy pressure after multiple women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations while apologizing for what he called “mistakes in judgment.”
The new campaign finance filing adds another problem by raising questions about how donor money was used after he had already ended a statewide campaign.
Former ally Ruben Gallego also criticized Swalwell, saying he “lied to all of us” and “lied to the most powerful people in this country.”
