Eric Swalwell’s first-class flights led to mind-blowing tab

Eric Swalwell spent years living the high life with campaign donors’ money as a U.S. congressman, staying in five-star hotels and racking up huge bills on fancy dinners and booze.

But his luxurious lifestyle also extended to the friendly skies.

A former staffer told The Post that Swalwell — whose career imploded this month after allegations of rape and sexual assault — flew “exclusively” first class during his ill-fated run for California governor and his time in Congress. 

Campaign reports appear to confirm the lavish spending, as Swalwell’s congressional campaign racked up almost $192,000 in flight charges in 2025. The charges included more than 50 flights costing above $1,000 and 18 flights costing above $2,000. 

Swalwell’s free spending also carried over to his ill-fated run for governor. 

State campaign records show the disgraced ex-congressman charged more than $22,000 on flights for himself and others in just December of last year. This included an $1,845 flight from Washington D.C. to San Francisco on Dec. 5.

“He would exclusively fly first class,” a former staffer told The Post. “It’s not a good use of donors’ money to be living this luxurious life going across the country.”

The Post’s review of campaign records filed this week found that Swalwell installed himself as treasurer in control of his governor campaign committee, which has more than $4 million in cash. However, some of the charges in his report were noted as incomplete.

Swalwell listed more than 200 flight charges that did not completely describe the nature of the payment. 

In mid-April, Swalwell — who did not respond to a request for comment — suspended his campaign for governor and resigned from office just days after several women came forward with allegations ranging from rape and sexual assault to other deviant behavior. 

Swalwell has since become the focus of criminal investigations in Los Angeles and Manhattan, and the U.S. Department of Justice has opened its own probe.

Earlier this month, The Post found that Swalwell spent a whopping $500K of donor cash at luxury hotels — including the rooms where he allegedly raped two women. In just the last year, he racked up close to $36,500 in hotel expenses, billing 70 different charges in the U.S. and Mexico, according to campaign records.

The Post also discovered that Swalwell, who was accused of assaulting multiple women after nights of heavy drinking, recorded more than 100 separate charges with Drizly, a now-defunct alcohol delivery company.

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