--- title: Sen. Gallego Faces Probe Over Campaign Spending: What to Know description: A spokesperson for the Arizona Democrat has said that President Trump is “targeting” him with the probe. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/06/30/ruben-gallego-arizona-senator-trump-administration-doj-probe-campaign-spending/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-06-30T09:30:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-30T17:08:35.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sen. Gallego Faces Probe Over Campaign Spending: What to Know og:description: A spokesperson for the Arizona Democrat has said that President Trump is “targeting” him with the probe. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/06/30/ruben-gallego-arizona-senator-trump-administration-doj-probe-campaign-spending/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted15ac9f90d04b15/6a4380f00ed13e26cc38470e/ruben-gallego.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: ruben-gallego.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sen. Gallego Faces Probe Over Campaign Spending: What to Know twitter:description: A spokesperson for the Arizona Democrat has said that President Trump is “targeting” him with the probe. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted15ac9f90d04b15/6a4380f00ed13e26cc38470e/ruben-gallego.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00 ---  # Why Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego Is Under Federal Investigation Over Suspected Campaign Finance Violations > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c5030b3a-4a77-4dc5-a1a0-573d4f072cdd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jun 30, 2026 9:30 AM UTC  Sen. Ruben Gallego (D, Ariz.) arrives for the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve, in Dirksen building, on April 21, 2026. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D, Ariz.) arrives for the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve, in Dirksen building, on April 21, 2026. Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/AP Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jun 30, 2026 9:30 AM UTC [Ruben Gallego](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318823/ruben-gallego/), the Democratic Senator from Arizona and a possible 2028 presidential candidate, is being investigated by the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice over suspected financial violations, following claims he used campaign cash to fund luxury trips. Gallego’s office has dismissed the investigation as the latest attempt by the White House to “weaponize” the department against the president’s political rivals. The probe, [first reported by Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/06/29/gallego-doj-investigation-campaign-finance), derives from a "whistleblower complaint" from Southern California, with the outlet citing an unnamed source familiar with the investigation. A source familiar confirmed Axios' reporting to TIME. The Justice Department declined to comment when asked about the investigation into Gallego. However, reports in recent weeks have highlighted the senator's campaign spending, as well as his connection to [former California Rep. Eric Swalwell](https://time.com/article/2026/04/12/eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-allegations/), who resigned from Congress in April amid sexual misconduct allegations and alleged misuse of campaign funds. Gallego’s office did not immediately reply to TIME. But a spokesperson for the Senator [told CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/29/politics/ruben-gallego-doj-investigation) that the Department of Justice probe was President Donald Trump’s way of “targeting” him. “Trump is targeting Senator Gallego while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump’s unprecedented corruption that’s raising costs for families, and instead targeting anyone who gets in their way — like the Federal Reserve, members of Congress doing their oversight duty, and now Senator Gallego,” the spokesperson said. Under Trump, the Justice Department has escalated its attempts to persecute the President’s adversaries, including [former FBI director James Comey](https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/james-comey-fbi-director-indictment-seashell-threat-trump/) and [Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll](https://time.com/article/2026/05/28/e-jean-carroll-trump-justice-department-criminal-investigation/). Trump has not publicly reacted to reports of a DOJ investigation into the Arizona Senator.  President Donald Trump speaks before signing a presidential memo in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C. on June 29, 2026. Jacquelyn Martin—AP Photo Reports of a probe came after a Senate panel dismissed an ethics complaint filed against Gallego by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R, Fla.), a staunch Trump loyalist, who alleged campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. In its [letter](https://www.gallego.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Ethics-Letter.pdf), which Gallego’s office published, the Senate ethics committee said it “did not find evidence” that Gallego’s actions violated federal law, the chamber’s rules, or conduct standards. “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](https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-ethics-committee-dismisses-complaint-against-senator-gallego/). ## Who is Ruben Gallego? Gallego is a former Marine who was elected as U.S. Senator for Arizona in 2024 following a campaign that appealed to [Latino voters](https://time.com/7096983/election-latino-voters-swing-states-harris-trump-campaigns-economy-immigration/) — who [leaned towards Trump nationwide](https://time.com/7175758/hispanic-men-us-election-trump/) during the presidential elections. Gallego was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010, and won a seat in the U.S. House in 2014\. He took over [Kyrsten Sinema](https://time.com/7346803/kyrsten-sinema-arizona-affair-ammel-security-complaint-wife-alienation-affection/)’s Senate seat in 2025, after beating the Trump-backed candidate Kari Lake in the election, bucking the trend of Democratic losses nationwide and putting him on the map as a 2028 presidential contender. Gallego is among the least wealthy U.S. Senators, according [to a NOTUS data report](https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains/senate), and his most recent financial disclosures show [that his liabilities surpass his assets](https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/annual/31fa8808-03f6-43fa-b119-99fd52135898/). Gallego was a long-time friend of former Rep. Swalwell and briefly chaired the latter’s short-lived 2020 presidential campaign. Following [scandals this year that involved Swalwell and another House lawmaker](https://time.com/article/2026/04/14/eric-swalwell-tony-gonzales-house-seats-replacements-special-election/), however, Gallego distanced himself from the embattled California legislator, claiming that the [latter had lied to him](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/sen-ruben-gallego-says-eric-swalwell-lied-to-him-about-sexual-misconduct-261347909862). ## What have reports said about Gallego’s spending? Reports from [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/21/gallego-campaign-donors-travel-00969326) and [The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/dem-2028-white-house-hopeful-used-campaign-cash-for-luxury-getaways/) more than a week ago said that Gallego repeatedly used campaign funds for luxury trips with his wife and for child care since launching his Senate campaign in 2023. Politico, after a review of campaign finance records and also citing an unnamed source familiar with Gallego’s spending, said that he used his leadership political action committee to finance trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland and Disney World with his family. The [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/us/politics/gallego-campaign-funds-family.html)on Monday also reported that, following a review of expenditure filings and travel records it obtained, the Senator had “repeatedly brought his family with him to vacation destinations and billed tens of thousands of dollars in flights to his campaign accounts just in 2025,” and that some of the trips align with personal events. “This is not breaking news,” Gallego told Politico. “With the rising costs of child care and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC.” The [Federal Election Commission](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/making-disbursements/personal-use/) says campaign funds may be used to pay for the costs of travel for a candidate (and the candidate’s spouse and minor children), as well as child care, as long as the expenses are tied to political activities. Gallego, in a [June 22 statement on social media](https://x.com/RubenGallego/status/2069174626685456883?s=20), responded to the reports of his spending: “Because of my schedule and the laws passed that allow for it, I will at times bring my wife and children with me to these retreats and fundraisers. Are these at nice venues? Yes, 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.” — _Connor Greene contributed reporting_. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/30/ruben-gallego-arizona-senator-trump-administration-doj-probe-campaign-spending/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/30/ruben-gallego-arizona-senator-trump-administration-doj-probe-campaign-spending/"},"headline":"Why Arizona Sen. 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