Eric Swalwell Used Campaign Funds to Pay Attorney Who Publicly Defended Him

Former Representative Eric Swalwell spent $40,000 in gubernatorial campaign funds to pay an attorney who has publicly defended him amid sexual assault allegations, records show.

Swalwell, who led a group of Democrats vying to replace outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom before sexual assault allegations shattered his campaign and led to his resignation from Congress, paid $40,000 to attorney Sara Azari for “professional services” related to legal and accounting matters, according to financial disclosures filed late Thursday, reviewed by Newsweek.

Azari did not return a message from Newsweek seeking comment on Friday. A source close to the matter criticized a report from the San Francisco Chronicle-the outlet that first reported on the sexual assault allegations against Swalwell-about the disclosure that named Azari.

“Financial arrangements between an attorney and client are protected,” they told Newsweek. “The insinuation by the SF Chronicle is just that-opinion, not fact. Sara Azari's practice expands beyond criminal defense.”

An attorney who previously represented Swalwell, Elias Dabaie, does not appear in the expenditure records from January 1 through April 18. He did not immediately return an inquiry seeking comment on Friday.

Azari defended Swalwell, 45, in a statement released earlier this month as he exited Congress, saying the lawmaker “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”

Later that day, Azari appeared on NewsNation, where she also works as a legal analyst, to speak on Swalwell’s behalf.

“It’s not my style to litigate my own cases in media, but I'm here because these allegations are false and he's been advised not to make any statements, so I'm doing that on his behalf," Azari told anchor Chris Cuomo, later noting Swalwell’s prior work as a prosecutor.

Swalwell, 45, has denied the allegations reported by the Chronicle that he had sexually assaulted a woman on two occasions, including while she worked for him in 2019. A second alleged incident in 2024 occurred in New York, where the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating. Authorities in Los Angeles are also investigating allegations that he drugged, assaulted and raped another woman in 2018.

“I have no comment on anything-period-and I'm going to hang up now,” Swalwell told Newsweek on April 14.

The seven-term lawmaker had officially resigned from the House moments earlier as another woman accused him of sexual assault. He did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.

Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign also paid the law firm Greenberg Traurig a total of $141,451 for “professional services (legal, accounting),” but it’s unclear whether the two payments cited in the filing pertained to the sexual misconduct accusations.

Footage from a hotel purportedly depicting Swalwell with a woman circulated on social media as the allegations swirled. Filings with the Federal Election Commission have indicated that Swalwell's congressional campaign paid about $1,100 to a Las Vegas hotel hours before a widely circulated video, later confirmed as authentic, was recorded, according to a Newsweek review of the disclosures.

“Swalwell for Congress” made two payments of $539.70 to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a five-star hotel situated on the Las Vegas Strip, on July 12, 2021, according to the disclosures. A forensic report obtained by Newsweek determined the video was recorded in the early morning hours of July 13, 2021, and shows Swalwell in a hotel room kissing a woman on a bed.

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said Thursday that no victims had contacted her office, San Francisco news station KTVU reported.

The prosecutor also warned the public against a hotline intended for potential accusers launched by Pamela Price, who is vying to replace Jones Dickson. Information not relayed through law enforcement channels may become public, she said.

“Just know that the information you provide to any hotline that is not a law enforcement hotline is not confidential,” Jones Dickson told reporters. “Your name is not confidential, that information is not confidential, and it's not coming to a law enforcement organization for purposes of report. So, you may have to make those claims again.”

Swalwell, an Iowa native who ran for president in 2019, worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County from 2006 through 2012. Billionaire Tom Steyer has become the frontrunner to replace Newsom following the first debate since Swalwell exited the race, odds show.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 4:03 PM.