Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has created a legal defense fund after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) accused him of misconduct and referred the matter to the Senate Ethics Committee, while his office denies wrongdoing and says he is cooperating with the investigation.
NBC News reported that Sen. Ruben Gallego has set up the “Senator Ruben Gallego Legal Defense Fund,” according to an IRS filing, to help offset the cost of responding to the allegations.
“Senator Gallego is under attack from right-wing conspiracy theorists like Anna Paulina Luna, the Trump Administration, and their cronies. This White House has made clear it is their priority to abuse their power and target political enemies. Senator Gallego will not stand for it,” Gallego spokesperson Jacques Petit told NBC News.
Gallego’s team also said Luna has provided “no details or evidence” of ethical misconduct and that Gallego is “fully complying with the inquiry.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posted on April 23, “I have now heard of 4 women who have had multiple and uncomfortable/inappropriate advances/comments/touching, etc. from Senator Gallego. This is not made up and the Senate is being awfully quiet about it.”
In an April 16 interview with CBS News correspondent Major Garrett, Luna said the allegations included an incident that was “sexual in nature, allegedly,” and “apparently issues of campaign finance violations.”
“I have since confirmed with Sen. John Thune’s chief of staff as well as they’re linking us to their ethics that they are investigating, and we are sending all appropriate information directly to them,” Luna said.
Gallego’s office denied the claims at the time. A spokesperson told CBS News, “These are right-wing conspiracy theories being parroted by a fringe far-right member of Congress. Senator Gallego has not received notification from or been contacted by the ethics committee.”
The allegations and ethics questions involving Gallego emerged after allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) upended his California gubernatorial campaign and led him to announce plans to resign from Congress. NBC News reported that Swalwell, through a lawyer, denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Gallego, who had previously called Swalwell his “best friend,” withdrew his endorsement of Swalwell’s California gubernatorial campaign on April 10, saying the reporting was serious and that what was described was “indefensible.” In the same post, Gallego said he regretted having defended Swalwell on social media before knowing all the information.
Reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN included claims from a former staffer and CNN’s report that three other women accused Swalwell of various kinds of sexual misconduct. More than 50 former Swalwell staffers later signed a letter calling the allegations “serious, credible, and demand accountability.”
On April 13, Gallego said he supported the House Ethics Committee investigation into Swalwell and argued that Swalwell was “no longer fit” to serve in Congress, adding, “He should be expelled from Congress.” Gallego said he had “no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior” against Swalwell. NBC News separately reported that Gallego said he felt “lied to” and “betrayed.”
Luna, who said she had prepared an expulsion resolution against Swalwell, said on Fox News that Swalwell had a “reputation” on Capitol Hill and that “many people on the Hill knew about this.” Former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised questions about Gallego’s relationship with Swalwell, saying Gallego had chaired Swalwell’s presidential campaign and that the two traveled together.
Breitbart News reported that Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign paid $40,000 to attorney Sara Azari, who defended him on NewsNation and said “regret is not rape.” The report also said criminal investigations had been launched in Los Angeles and New York, along with a Justice Department probe, and noted questions about Swalwell’s campaign spending.
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