Eric Swalwell’s career crashed out after allegations of rape and sexual assault, but the disgraced ex-congressman is still riding in style — and paying big bucks for a “luxury” chauffeur.
New campaign filings from Swalwell’s ill-fated run for California governor show he spent the last month burning tens of thousand of dollars in campaign funds on a transportation and security specialist, while also paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees as he faces multiple probes over his alleged predatory behavior.
Swalwell paid nearly $39,000 to Darly Meyer, a North Hollywood-based luxury transportation and security operator whose company, CYD Global Car Service, advertises chauffeured black cars and executive protection.
The filings show Swalwell’s campaign paid Meyer at least $38,807 between April 19 and May 16.
Federal campaign filings dating back to 2021 show Swalwell’s congressional and PAC committees paid Meyer more than $360,000 through a patchwork of expense categories, according to a Fox News report.
The charges included “security services,” “salary,” “travel expenses,” “car service,” and even reimbursements for flowers and postage.
A call to Meyer’s number ended with a man hanging up after claiming not to be him, while Meyer’s wife told The Post that she knew little about his connection to Swalwell and declined to confirm his telephone number.
Swalwell, who did not respond to requests for comment, has not been seen publicly since the scandal erupted.
Sources with knowledge of his campaign spending said that Meyer has been over the years used as a driver and protecter during the ex-congressman’s frequent visits to Southern California. Swalwell has claimed to have received numerous death threats for his criticism of President Trump.
While he has not been actively campaigning since early April, Swalwell’s spending has accelerated dramatically since his career and life collapsed.
From mid-April to mid-May, Swalwell spent $273,251 on the Law Office of Sara Azari, who aggressively defended him in TV interviews over the sexual misconduct allegations.
Swalwell also paid another $50,000 on San Francisco law firm Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP during the reporting period.
The ex-congressman was considered the Democratic frontrunner in the race for governor until allegations surfaced in early April. By that time, he had amassed a political war chest of more than $5.6 million.
“The truly tragic part about this is that he raised this money and feels entitled to use this money,” said Matthew Klink, a conservative political strategist in Los Angeles.
“It’s really the only way he’s able to cling to the lifestyle he had as a congressman and a candidate.”
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Swalwell still had $2.6 million left in the campaign account after reimbursing $176,328 in contributions. In some cases, his money was not welcome, as the California Democratic Party returned a $13,000 contribution from Swalwell on May 5.
One source who worked with Swalwell told The California Post that they expect he’ll continue to use the campaign to support his personal life, and he may even transfer it into a new committee to retain access to the money beyond this election cycle.
Swalwell commonly used his congressional campaigns to pay for travel, hotel stays, dinners, and frequent alcohol deliveries.
“This is somebody who makes terrible personal decisions, and this is more of the same,” said Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic political strategist in Los Angeles.
“He’s going to piss a lot of people off, but at this point, maybe he understands that these bridges are already burned, and he’s just going to use [the money] for whatever he feels like.
“I’m not sure if it’s legal, but I do know it’s not right.”
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