The Department of Justice has now reportedly launched an investigation into Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego over alleged campaign finance violations, according to reports, marking a new legal challenge for the freshman senator after a separate Senate ethics complaint was dismissed earlier this week.
According to Axios, citing a source familiar with the matter, the federal investigation began Monday following a whistleblower complaint originating from Southern California.
The DOJ probe comes on the same day the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a misconduct complaint filed against Gallego. That complaint stemmed from allegations made by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who accused the Arizona Democrat in April of both campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct. Following months of investigation, the committee concluded there was no evidence supporting Luna’s claims.
While the ethics complaint has been closed, the reported Justice Department investigation is focused on alleged campaign finance issues.
Politico previously reported that Gallego used money from a political action committee, or PAC, for personal leisure expenses. Citing campaign finance records and an individual familiar with the senator’s spending, the outlet reported that the expenditures included family trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland and Disney World.
Responding to news of the federal investigation, Gallego accused the Trump administration of using the Justice Department to target him because of his political positions.
“Let’s be clear. The only reason they’re doing this is because I hold this administration accountable,” Gallego said in a statement Tuesday. “Whether it’s trying to stop Trump’s dirty crypto deals or trying to stop the Trump brothers and all their dirty deals in Kazakhstan or to stop the payoffs of all these January 6th insurgents.”
Gallego appeared to be referencing a New York Times report alleging that agreements by the Trump administration opening access to tungsten mines in Kazakhstan could result in profits for the Trump family as key investors.
The Arizona senator has also been an outspoken critic of another Trump-backed initiative. In May, Gallego introduced an amendment that would have blocked the creation of what became known as Trump’s anti-weaponization fund. The nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund was intended to compensate individuals who claimed they had been targeted by what supporters described as Biden-era weaponization of government agencies. Congress halted the fund in early June before it took effect.
A spokesperson for Gallego also criticized the timing of the investigation.
“Trump is targeting Senator Gallego while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump’s unprecedented corruption,” the spokesperson told Axios, adding that the investigation was “the least surprising news of the week.”
Questions surrounding Gallego’s PAC spending have surfaced before. According to Politico, in 2023 Gallego used a PAC that he organized alongside former California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell to cover expenses including Super Bowl tickets and meals totaling more than $37,000.
Gallego defended those expenditures in comments to Fox News, saying the PAC had hosted a fundraiser connected to the Super Bowl to raise money for his campaign.
The senator has also publicly distanced himself from Swalwell following repeated allegations of sexual assault and harassment against the former California congressman. Gallego said Swalwell had “lied” to him about his past, despite previously being described as Swalwell’s “best friend.”
The reported DOJ investigation remains ongoing, with federal authorities examining the campaign finance allegations stemming from the whistleblower complaint.
