Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego filed paperwork on Tuesday to establish a legal defense fund following the launch of a Senate ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filing comes after Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna publicly accused Gallego of misconduct in April. Gallego has denied the allegations. Luna formally requested that Senate Majority Leader John Thune initiate an inquiry into what she described as “disturbing allegations,” noting that some claims were “sexual in nature” while others involved potential violations of campaign finance laws.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed to reporters that the accusations are currently under investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Gallego’s office released a statement explaining the creation of the fund, stating the senator is “under attack from right-wing conspiracy theorists like Anna Paulina Luna, the Trump Administration, and their cronies.”
According to Luna’s statements in April, a woman and her legal counsel expressed a desire to go on the record regarding an alleged incident involving Gallego. The Arizona senator has repeatedly rejected the claims, stating that he has “never engaged in any sexual misconduct or any other inappropriate behavior with women.”
The investigation follows recent scrutiny surrounding Gallego’s past political ties, specifically his relationship with former California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, who recently resigned from Congress following allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Multiple women accused Swalwell of misconduct, including a former staff member who alleged non-consensual intimate contact.
Gallego, who served as the national chairman for Swalwell’s 2020 presidential campaign and has been frequently described as his close friend, stated after the resignation that Swalwell “lied” to him regarding his personal past.
READ: Hardware Havoc: Multimillion-Dollar Tool Theft Ring Smashed Across 13 Florida Counties
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