Trump opens secret investigation into top Democrat after campaign cash spending spree on Super Bowl, luxury trips revealed

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:28, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 22:29, 29 June 2026 Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, a potential 2028 White House contender, is being investigated by President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who visited the first Democratic presidential primary state of South Carolina earlier this month, is in hot water after a deep look into his campaign spending. A report released by Axios on Monday notes that Gallego is the subject of a Justice Department probe for 'suspected campaign finance violations.' The DOJ didn't comment on the matter. Gallego was cleared of a separate Senate ethics investigation earlier on Monday, which reviewed complaints of 'alleged campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature.' A Gallego spokesperson told Axios of the latest investigation, '[President] Trump is targeting Senator Gallego while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump's unprecedented corruption.' 'It's the least surprising news of the week that this comes immediately after the Senate Ethics Committee cleared Senator Gallego of right-wing smears pushed by the administration,' the spokesperson also noted. Trump's DOJ is also investigating a slew of his other political opponents, including Gavin Newsom, John Brennan, Adam Schiff, Letitia James, and Jerome Powell. A Politico report released earlier in June details how Gallego spent thousands of dollars from political donors on travel and luxury events from his campaign accounts, covering not only his own expenses but also those of his family. Since kicking off his bid for the US Senate in 2023, Gallego's leadership PAC has paid for trips involving his family to destinations including Florida, Illinois, and Disney properties in California and Florida. US Senator Ruben Gallego speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol, Washington DC, USA, June 18th 2026 US President Donald Trump speaks as he sits in the Oval Office of the White House on June 26, 2026 Ruben Gallego with wife Sydney and daughter Isla walk from a polling location after dropping off their voting ballots Wednesday, October 16, 2024, in Phoenix His political accounts have also reimbursed him more than $18,000 for child-care costs dating back to 2019, Federal Election Commission records show. One eyebrow-raising payment of $400 went to his wife's mother for babysitting services. Former First Lady Jill Biden's longtime spokesman Michael LaRosa noted on X that he was one past Gallego donor who asked for his money back. 'Needless to say, I'm thrilled that I requested — and received — a refund of my own contribution to him just last week. Democrats and donors should read this buyer-beware reporting,' LaRosa wrote. Jill Biden's longtime spokesman Michael LaRosa noted on X that he was one Gallego donor who asked for his money back Eric Swalwell and Ruben Gallego at the US Capitol in September of 2021 Filings also show Gallego and his wife attended the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona using a shared political account he maintained with former California Representative Eric Swalwell. Campaign finance regulations permit candidates and officeholders to spend political money on expenses such as travel, meals, events, and child care when those costs are connected to campaign or official activity. The restrictions are looser for leadership PACs, which can spend money on a wider range of fundraising-related activities. A person familiar with the matter noted that the senator's wife, children, mother-in-law, and au pair have often traveled alongside him for events supported by donors. Gallego said the expenses were permitted and pointed to the financial strain of child care on working families. He said elected officials from both parties frequently travel with their spouses and children and use campaign funds for child care when federal rules allow it. 'This is not breaking news,' Gallego told Politico when the story about his spending came out.  'With the rising costs of child care and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC,' he added. One account from which the luxury expenses were made was a former joint fundraising committee, the 'Swallego Victory Fund', which was shared by Gallego and his former close friend, California congressman and one-time gubernatorial front-runner Eric Swalwell . Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial race after a sexual assault allegation from a former staffer forced him to quit. Swalwell has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least five women, including a former staffer who alleged that Swalwell, who is married, raped her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent, in 2019 and 2024. She is one of four women who have made allegations against the Democrat. Swalwell announced he was suspending his campaign after the accusations came to light, saying he was 'deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past,' while disputing what he called 'false allegations' against him. The PAC was disbanded earlier in the 2025-2026 electoral cycle, per FEC records, after having raised and spent just over $55,000 in the 2023-2024 cycle. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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