Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., disbursed more than $360,000 from his congressional and gubernatorial campaign accounts to his attorney, Sara Azari, in the weeks following his resignation from Congress. Federal Election Commission filings reveal a $50,000 payment to Azari for "Legal [and] Accounting Services" on April 24, 2026, just 11 days after Swalwell announced he was stepping down from his House seat.
Further payments were made by Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign to Azari in May 2026, including a $250,000 payment for "campaign legal compliance," according to California state records. The total sum paid to Azari from these campaign accounts shortly after Swalwell's political withdrawals reached over $360,000.
Swalwell resigned from Congress and withdrew from the California gubernatorial race in April 2026 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed accounts from several women alleging that Swalwell had pursued intoxicated women, pressured employees into intimate situations, and solicited explicit images from female contacts. He faced criminal investigations in New York and Los Angeles, as well as a Justice Department inquiry.
In his resignation statement, Swalwell apologized for "mistakes in judgment" he made in the past while denying the serious allegations. His attorney, Sara Azari, acknowledged Swalwell's apology for past "lapses in judgment" and stated that she admired his accountability for removing himself from Congress and the gubernatorial race while the allegations were pending.
Azari, who operates law offices in Los Angeles and New York, did not respond to inquiries regarding the specific nature of the legal and accounting services provided or the details of the payments made from Swalwell's campaign accounts.