Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell is accused of abusing government resources in an ethics complaint filed Friday by a watchdog organization, the Daily Caller has learned.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) is requesting the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigate whether Swalwell used government resources for political purposes. (RELATED: Watchdog Group Requests Ethics Investigation Into Ilhan Omar’s TikTok Usage)
Swalwell’s campaign account tweeted on June 8 a video of a Congressional hearing where he criticized Republican George Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for her position on the debt ceiling. His video ends with an image of his campaign logo and slogan, “go big, be bold, and do good.”
MAGA GOP doesn’t like when I quote their own. pic.twitter.com/ezItdBkC1J
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) June 8, 2023
“The legal violation in this case is obvious and there are no facts that can excuse it. Swalwell used official House resources and proceedings for political purposes. The video was taken inside a government building and is from a House Committee proceeding, both are official resources. The fact that Swalwell put his campaign logo on an official resource shows a complete lack of respect for the law, in addition to him posting it on a campaign social media site,” the ethics complaint asserts.
READ THE FULL COMPLAINT:
FACT Complaint Swalwell by James Lynch on Scribd
Federal law prohibits representatives from using taxpayer funded resources for government purposes, including government buildings and House floor video footage, the complaint states. Swalwell’s campaign video appears to utilize footage from a government building and a House Committee proceeding, which are both official resources. The tweet in question was deleted shortly after FACT filed its ethics complaint.
Swalwell was removed from the House Intelligence Committee in January by Speaker McCarthy for an alleged romantic relationship with a suspected Chinese spy known as Christine Fang. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Fang. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog Group Files Complaint Against Rep. Wiley Nickel For Allegedly Abusing Official Resources)
“The legal violation in this case is obvious and there are no facts to excuse it. Rep. Swalwell used official House resources and proceedings for political purposes. The video was taken inside a government building and is from a House Committee proceeding, both are official resources,” FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold said in a statement.
“The fact that Swalwell put his campaign logo on an official resource shows a complete lack of respect for the law. Although it is not clear how Swalwell obtained the video, it is irrelevant because a Member cannot use official footage even if it is obtained from another entity. These laws must be strictly enforced to reduce the incentive for Members to abuse official proceedings to make political statements as shown in this case,” Arnold added.
Swalwell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated after publication to account for the removal of Swalwell’s tweet.