ICYMI: Swalwell Personally Pitched His Political AI Startup to Lawmakers

Ethics expert: “He is a public official who should not be in the business of promoting a private interest of his own.”

SAN FRANCISCO — NOTUS reported today that Congressman Eric Swalwell has been personally peddling the services of his AI business to lawmakers – raising serious ethical questions about his use of his influence in Congress to benefit his own bottom line.

Swalwell, who has missed more votes than almost any other lawmaker in Congress over the last year, fails to show up for the job he was elected to do, but continues to use his perch in Congress to raise money for his side hustle.

“Much like Donald Trump, Eric Swalwell appears to be leveraging his position and influence in government for personal gain,” Steyer campaign spokesperson Kevin Liao said. “It raises serious questions about his true motivations and character as a public servant: Is Eric Swalwell simply using the levers of power to line his own pockets?”

Key passages of the news story:

NOTUS: Democrats Say Rep. Eric Swalwell Personally Pitched His Political AI Startup to Lawmakers

Swalwell and Yardena Wolf, who served as his congressional chief of staff until December, sent Democratic lawmakers and staffers texts and emails about their company, Findraiser, and pitched the company during in-person interactions, as well, the Democratic operatives said. NOTUS reviewed emailed communications and texts Wolf sent to congressional staff.

“He is relentless in pushing [Findraiser]” a Democratic operative currently working with multiple congressional campaigns told NOTUS. “He’s peddling the shit out of that thing.” 

A Democratic consultant told NOTUS Swalwell has promoted Findraiser “aggressively” to Democratic candidates and senior campaign officials, adding that experience of being approached by Swalwell or his staff has been “surprisingly universal” in some Democratic circles.

[...]

In his congressional financial disclosures, Swalwell values the company at $200,000 to $500,000. 

Wolf, who left Swalwell’s congressional office to work as his campaign manager last year, also promoted Findraiser to senior congressional staff and campaigns while still serving as Swalwell’s chief of staff, according to four sources who spoke to NOTUS.

While Wolf still worked as a chief of staff, she emailed congressional campaigns, offered demos for Findraiser and texted congressional staffers to schedule business meetings with her and Swalwell to discuss their startup’s services, these sources said. 

One of these sources, a Democratic consultant working with several political campaigns, told NOTUS that Wolf performed one of these demos through a Zoom meeting in what appeared to be her congressional office. 

“You’re at your desk while you’re doing this, like, what is happening right now?” this source told NOTUS. “You can’t be using the congressional office to sell whatever this little project is you guys have.”

[...]

“He is a public official who should not be in the business of promoting a private interest of his own or other private interests, regardless of pay,” Meredith McGehee, a long-time advocate for congressional ethics, told NOTUS about Swalwell. 

“The difference is whether or not it’s your company or whether or not you have a financial stake. And if you do, then you shouldn’t be in that position of promoting a product with which you have a relationship,” she added.

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