Eric Swalwell’s Campaign Spent $42K on ‘Childcare’ Expenses in 5 Months After the Election

FEC lets candidates use campaign funds for childcare and babysitters, but only for expenses incurred in connection with their campaigns

Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign spent tens of thousands of dollars after the election on childcare expenses for the California Democrat, raising potential ethics concerns for a lawmaker who has been accused in the past of using his campaign war chest as a “personal piggybank.”

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 payments raise potential ethics concerns for a lawmaker who has been accused by government watchdog groups in the past of using his campaign warchest as a “personal piggybank.”

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.

“However, where there is significant spending after an election or consistently high payments, these facts may indicate it is not a campaign related expense and is instead a personal one,” Arnold said.

Swalwell’s childcare expenditures work out to roughly $2,800 spent per month on each of the Democrat’s three children. It also works out to nearly $300 spent per day.

Swalwell makes nearly $180,000 from his congressional salary. He also was paid $31,815 for “consulting services” by Smersh LLC., a media production company founded by several former CIA officers. Swalwell’s wife reported between $100,000 and $1 million from her business, according to Swalwell’s most recent financial disclosure.

Swalwell has been accused before of using his campaign to pay for personal expenses. One conservative watchdog group filed an FEC complaint against Swalwell over his elaborate spending on luxury hotels, swanky restaurants, and luxury car services, accusing the Democrat of using his campaign coffers as his “personal piggybank.” Swalwell’s campaign paid $50,000 for tickets to last year’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, which Swalwell, a 49ers super fan, attended with his wife, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Swalwell’s campaign paid $540 to a babysitter days after the big game, though it is unclear whether that was related to the Super Bowl.

Swalwell has defended the elaborate spending as legitimate campaign expenditures. Swalwell said in 2021, amid questions about his campaign payments for babysitters, that campaign funds were used to cover childcare costs “while at campaign events.” The FEC ruled in favor of Swalwell in 2022 after he sought permission to use campaign money to pay for “overnight childcare” incurred while he was out of town for campaign events.

Swalwell, who is perhaps best known for his relationship with a female Chinese spy named Fang Fang, also sought authorization to use campaign funds to pay for childcare while he traveled overseas in connection with his congressional duties, the Free Beacon reported. The commission denied that request. Republican commissioner Trey Trainor blasted Swalwell’s request, saying he’s “never seen campaign donors treated so disrespectfully.”

It is unclear what campaign events Swalwell attended after the November election. Swalwell does not publish a schedule of his campaign stops, and his congressional and campaign offices did not respond to requests for comment.

Swalwell has relied heavily on his campaign for years to pay babysitters. The campaign spent more on childcare than any candidate in the House or Senate from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31, according to campaign records. He was trailed by Sen. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.), who famously rode shirtless on camels with Swalwell in the Qatari desert during a congressional junket in 2021. Gallego’s campaign paid $6,189 in December to Au Pair in America, which matches host families with live-in babysitters as part of an “international student exchange program.”