The US Department of Justice is investigating Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego of Arizona for alleged violations of campaign finance laws. The investigation comes after Gallego's trips to various destinations, including Puerto Rico, the Super Bowl, Disney World, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, were highlighted in the media. Gallego claims he is a political target of former President Donald Trump.
The Senator was previously exonerated by a bipartisan Senate investigation and had a complaint filed against him by Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna dismissed by the Senate Ethics Committee. The committee found no evidence that Gallego's actions violated federal law, Senate rules, or relevant standards of conduct. Gallego's campaign spent around $5,000 on a trip to Puerto Rico, where he met with potential donors, including Anthony Maceira, a lobbyist for the President of the Puerto Rico Senate, Thomas Rivera Schatz.
The New York Times reported that Maceira donated $5,000 to Gallego's campaign on December 30. Gallego's campaign also paid for his wife and at least one child to travel with him on 18 occasions related to his activities.