Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) have found themselves in hot water yet again.
The Federal Election Commission has imposed a $68,000 penalty on Waters’ 2020 campaign committee following an investigation that uncovered multiple campaign finance violations.
Documents released by the FEC last Friday state Citizens for Waters, the longtime California congresswoman’s campaign organization, violated several federal election laws during the 2020 election cycle.
The commission accused Waters’ campaign committee of “failing to accurately report receipts and disbursements in calendar year 2020” in official filings.
Federal investigators also found that the campaign “knowingly accepted excessive contributions” from individual donors beyond legal limits.
The committee was additionally cited for “making prohibited cash disbursements” that exceeded federal regulations.
Waters’ campaign has agreed to pay the substantial fine and submit to mandatory training requirements as part of the settlement agreement, per a report by Trending Politics (TP).
The campaign committee must “send its treasurer to a Commission-sponsored training program for political committees within one year of the effective date of this Agreement,” according to the FEC documents.
Federal regulators specified that the campaign must “submit evidence of the required registration and attendance at such event to the Commission” to demonstrate compliance.
The investigation revealed that Citizens for Waters accepted excessive campaign donations from seven individuals totaling $19,000 during 2019 and 2020.
Swalwell, for his part, has found himself at the center of controversy following the release of a social media video that critics are denouncing as painfully awkward and desperate.
The California Democrat posted a clip featuring himself eating a taco while attempting to mock President Donald Trump, sparking widespread ridicule across conservative media platforms.
The controversial footage shows the congressman consuming a taco as part of a joke centered around the Democrats’ newly coined “TACO” acronym.
Resist the Mainstream previously reported that “TACO” stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” referencing claims about the president’s approach to tariff policies.
The acronym allegedly originated among Wall Street bankers who have begun betting against Trump based on perceived patterns in his tariff implementation strategies.
The video begins with a staff member entering Swalwell’s office and approaching his desk with a question about Trump’s tariff policies.
The staffer asks, “Hey, Congressman…What the f— is up with Trump always chickening out on tariffs?”
Instead of providing a verbal response, Swalwell simply eats the taco, apparently believing this constitutes clever political commentary.
The clip has drawn sharp criticism from conservative commentators and media outlets across the political spectrum.
Tomi Lahren of Outkick delivered particularly harsh commentary on the video’s quality and execution.
“This is so freaking cringeworthy I have secondhand embarrassment just having to watch it,” Lahren stated in her response to the clip.
Multiple conservative outlets have characterized the video using terms like “bizarre” and “very odd” in their coverage, TP outlined.
RedWavePress described the post as bizarre, while Blaze Media labeled it as very odd in their respective analyses.
Conservative news aggregator Amuse connected the video to broader Democratic strategies for voter outreach.
“MEN? Eric Swalwell is kicking off the Democrat’s $20 million effort to attract young men to the party. What do you say guys? Want to share a taco with Eric?” the account posted.
Podcast host Graham Allen expressed disbelief at the Democratic Party’s messaging tactics in his reaction.
“Democrats are so DESPERATE TO ATTRACT YOUNG PEOPLE that they got Eric Swalwell to eat Taco Bell… SO WEIRD!” Allen commented.
Influencer Ian Miles Cheong questioned whether such content would help the Democratic Party regain voter support.
“Eric Swalwell shared a video using profanity while eating a taco. Is this the type of messaging likely to regain support for the Democratic Party?” Cheong asked.
Town Hall echoed similar concerns about the effectiveness of this messaging strategy for Democratic voter outreach.
“Eric Swalwell has posted a video featuring the f-word while eating a taco. Do you think this is the kind of messaging that will win back support for the Democrat party?” the publication wrote.
Critics argue the video represents a desperate attempt by Democrats to appear relevant to younger voters.
TP further noted that the Democratic Party has been experiencing significant challenges in maintaining support among demographics they previously considered reliable voting blocs.
Recent polling data and the 2024 election results indicate that young people and Hispanic Americans are increasingly shifting toward Trump and the Republican Party.
This demographic realignment has created significant pressure for Democrats to develop new messaging strategies to reconnect with these voter groups.
