Ethics Panel Dismisses Misconduct Complaint Against Sen. Ruben Gallego

The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint against Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) accusing him of inappropriate conduct and alleged campaign finance violations, the Arizona Democrat said on Monday.

“The dismissal by the Ethics Committee reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House, and their allies,” Gallego said in a statement.

In April, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) accused him of “very disturbing” allegations in social media posts. Gallego, who has denied any wrongdoing, then established a legal defense fund in response.

“I look forward to an apology from Rep. Luna for weaponizing the ethics process while refusing to investigate historic corruption that’s making life harder for families,” Gallego added.

The Senate Select Committee on Ethics and Luna’s office did not immediately respond to NOTUS’ requests for comment.

Gallego, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has been under scrutiny over his longtime friendship with former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California), who resigned from Congress following accusations of sexual assault. The senator told reporters in April that he “fell for the lies,” and while he had heard rumors about Swalwell’s “flirty” behavior, he said he was not aware of the more serious allegations against the California congressman.

Gallego eventually joined calls for Swalwell to be expelled.

“Based on investigation of the Committee, the Committee did not find evidence that your actions violated Federal law, Senate Rules, or related standards of conduct,” the committee wrote in a letter to Gallego, which was first reported by NBC News. “As always, the Committee retains the authority to revisit this matter should additional facts become known to the Committee.”

The committee said it “appreciated” Gallego’s “full cooperation with the Committee throughout the investigation.”

The senator has also been in the spotlight over his spending of campaign funds. Politico reported that he had used campaign money on luxury trips with his family and on child care. In response, Gallego said on X that fundraising tends to take place in “nice venues.”

“It’s where the donors are, and it’s part of campaigning. I know people have opinions on that, but that’s the nature of the campaign system we have in our country,” Gallego said.

Gallego’s campaign lawyer also quietly created a nonprofit organization despite concerns that were shared with the senator about the entity potentially violating campaign finance rules, as NOTUS first reported. A spokesperson for Gallego told NOTUS that the senator and his campaign team “stay within the rules and stick to widely used best practices.”