Gallego spokesperson says Trump is ‘targeting’ the Democratic senator with DOJ investigation
By Morgan Rimmer, CNN
(CNN) — A spokesperson for Sen. Ruben Gallego said Monday that President Donald Trump is “targeting” the Arizona Democrat with a Justice Department investigation into his campaign finances.
Reacting to a report of the inquiry in Axios, the spokesperson accused the Justice Department of having been “weaponized” and said the administration was effectively trying to quiet those who criticize it.
“Trump is targeting Senator Gallego while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump’s unprecedented corruption that’s raising costs for families, and instead targeting anyone who gets in their way — like the Federal Reserve, members of Congress doing their oversight duty, and now Senator Gallego,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said Gallego’s office did not have independent knowledge, outside of the Axios report, into the DOJ investigation or what it was seeking to uncover. Axios reported that the investigation stemmed from a “whistleblower complaint” out of Southern California.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It’s the least surprising news of the week that this comes immediately after the Senate Ethics Committee cleared Senator Gallego of rightwing smears pushed by the administration weeks ago,” the Gallego spokeperson said.
Earlier Monday, Gallego’s office released a letter from the Senate Ethics Committee revealing the panel closed a complaint filed against him by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. The inquiry, which alleged “campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature,” would be separate from an investigation by federal law enforcement.
“Based on the investigation of the Committee, the Committee did not find evidence that your actions violated Federal law, Senate Rules, or related standards of conduct,” the letter said.
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