Cheyenne Hunt watched Rep. Eric Swalwell use campaign funds for legal fees after sexual assault allegations chased him out of Congress. She decided to do something to not watch Graham Platner do the same.
Hunt, a prominent activist and lawyer, launched her organization Reckoning Action in response to the accusations against Swalwell with the goal of ending misogyny in the workplace. After Swalwell, she knew she “had to get a little bit scrappier about how we do this,” Hunt told NOTUS in an interview.
Ultimately, her organization decided to text Platner’s donors directly and teach them how they can get refunds from his campaign.
“Anything that we can do to try to take resources out of the hands of predators is worth it,” Hunt said.
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Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race and resigned from Congress in early April after multiple women, including one of his former staffers, accused him of sexual assault. He has denied the accusations. Recent Federal Election Commission filings show that Swalwell spent $50,000 in campaign money on defense attorney Sara Azari, who specializes in “#metoo defense,” according to her website. Days after Swalwell resigned, Azari’s firm hired a private investigator who looked into the sexual assault allegations, NOTUS first reported.
Platner, who ended his Senate campaign after being accused of sexual assault, presented a different challenge for Reckoning Action. The group sought legal advice and then informed the women who accused Platner of sexual assault “that there was a good chance that they were being watched and looked into,” Hunt said.
“That is deeply unsettling for survivors after having to go through this incredibly invasive process of bringing that forward,” Hunt said. Platner had $1.7 million cash on hand at the end of last month, according to the most recent FEC data available, and Hunt was concerned that he could use that money “against these survivors.”
Platner’s campaign did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.
Reckoning Action sent automated texts signed by Hunt to donors with the following message: “If you donated to Graham Platner and feel betrayed, you’re not alone. You signed up to help elect a champion for freedom and equality and take back the Senate — not to fund a predator.” The text linked to a Reckoning Action website with instructions on how to get the refunds.
Hunt told NOTUS that in the hours after they sent that text to “thousands” of donors on July 16, more than 300 people visited the landing page.
Many political donors use the platform ActBlue to contribute to Democratic campaigns. The site allows refunds within 90 days of the payment. Reckoning Action advised donors to contact ActBlue if the donation is older than 90 days or to contact Platner’s campaign directly to request a refund.
The FEC does not allow campaign funds to be used for personal use, but it does allow that money to be used to cover legal expenses related to campaign activity, “where such expenses would not have occurred had the individual not been a candidate or officeholder,” according to its official website.
There’s nothing that directly prohibits a candidate or an elected official from using campaign funds to fight sexual misconduct allegations.
While Hunt and her organization reached out to Platner’s financial supporters, they were also in touch with lawmakers about changing the law. On Tuesday, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) introduced the No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act, a bill that would prohibit candidates and elected officials on the federal level from using campaign money to cover costs related to sexual misconduct claims.
It’s unclear whether the bill will become law, even with bipartisan support.
“Survivors must be heard and respected. Our bipartisan legislation addresses a basic principle: money donated to support a political campaign should not become a personal legal-defense fund for alleged sexual misconduct,” Khanna said in a statement.
Luna concurred in a statement: “If a candidate is accused of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, campaign donations and legal expense funds should never become a personal bailout. If you commit sexual misconduct, you should foot the bill, not the donors who put their trust in you.”
Platner has denied he sexually assaulted anyone. In an 11-minute video posted on X, he said the allegations were “false” and were “used by the political establishment” to kick him off the ballot in the Maine Senate race.
The reactions from donors to Reckoning Action’s text were mixed.
“Those that were negative definitely echoed the sentiments in his video,” Hunt said. “This concept of not really taking accountability, and that this was something that was happening to him versus a product of his own misconduct and his own lack of honesty. So that was hard.”
“That’s just so disconnected from reality,” Hunt added.
But Platner’s many scandals have already made a dent in his campaign finances. His campaign committee refunded more than $43,000 to donors from late May to June 30, according to its most recent financial report. Those refunds happened at a time when he was dealing with reports of sexual text messages with women outside of his marriage.
“I’m feeling pretty optimistic that we will have put another sizable dent in that campaign account,” Hunt said.
The discussion around sexual misconduct in Congress has spurred lawmakers to create legislation to address sexual misconduct, beyond the Khanna-Luna bill. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado) recently introduced a resolution to prohibit House lawmakers from having romantic relationships with any House employee.
The Republican and Democratic women’s caucuses are preparing to release recommendations after the August recess around overhauling how the House handles sexual misconduct allegations. Both Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have blessed the effort.
“We’re protecting women. We’re protecting the staff,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, told reporters last week. “We’re protecting the really brilliant people who choose to come and work for us.”
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