Eric Swalwell skips votes for LA mansion visits in governor run

Rep. Eric Swalwell has been missing votes in Congress while hanging out at his rich bro’s $23.4 million Beverly Hills mansion while he runs for California governor, The Post can reveal.

Swalwell’s cozy relationship with Las Vegas timeshare mogul Stephen Cloobeck — who had a scandalous fallout with an OnlyFans ex-girlfriend and refers to the congressman as his “Little Brother” — is drawing scrutiny on multiple fronts.

Social media posts appear to show Swalwell has spent time at Cloobeck’s palatial 9,700-square-foot estate on 10 different days since September.

During this time, Swalwell posted videos of himself at Cloobeck’s home on three days in which he missed votes on the House floor, according to congressional records.

The hooky from work to hang out with the rich and famous is part of a pattern for Swalwell, who missed more votes last year than any active member of Congress — even more votes than the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, who died in March 2025.

A review of Swalwell’s Instagram shows he has used the same identifiable rooms inside Cloobeck’s mansion to conduct TV interviews and post videos on social media.

The mansion itself has been featured in architectural publications for its opulent design. 

The double-gated property has seven bathrooms, six bedrooms — including two master suites — and a tennis court.

Swalwell’s social media posts show him at the Beverly Hills palace with consistent backdrops, including a large square yellow abstract painting and a gray stone art wall. 

Cloobeck, who recently confirmed some of Swalwell’s visits to the mansion in an interview with Politico, saying of one televised hit: “That’s my backdrop. Mi casa, su casa.”

Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic political consultant, said that Swalwell’s social media posts create “bad optics” for his gubernatorial campaign. 

“It reinforces the narrative that he’s skipped votes — a lot of votes — and in the case of ‘Where’s Waldo,’ or ‘Where’s Swalwell,’ he’s popping up in other places when he’s supposed to be doing his job,” Ashford said.

“And that begs an answer.”

One question is why Swalwell would need to stay at Cloobeck’s casa.

The Bay Area congressman’s neighbors in Livermore couldn’t identify Swalwell when The Post showed them his picture, despite Swalwell claiming to have lived on the quiet cul-de-sac since 2017.

“I’ve never seen him,” said Gita Prusty, who’s lived on the street for five years.

Campaign records show Swalwell has spent thousands of dollars on luxury hotel rooms in and around his district.

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Swalwell’s campaign, which did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment, has refused to provide any documentation on a lease agreement or monthly payments for the three-bedroom house, which is just 1,350 square feet and also home to another family.

“I honestly can’t figure out what’s going on with Eric Swalwell,” said Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for governor.

“He obviously has no interest in his current job, because he missed more votes than a member of Congress who died.”

“He clearly doesn’t have any real interest in California either, because he lives in another state.”

On Friday, a Sacramento judge tentatively struck down a lawsuit challenging Swalwell’s California residency claims.

A hearing is still expected to occur Monday.

Another potential issue with Swalwell’s stay at Cloobeck’s palace is whether it’s appropriate for a congressman to be receiving free stays and gifts — politically and personally — from an ardent campaign supporter.

Cloobeck not only is a max donor to Swalwell’s governor campaign, but he’s also given $1 million to a committee supporting Swalwell’s run for governor and is using resources from his own short-lived governor campaign last year to help the congressman.

Cloobeck told Politico his endorsement of Swalwell’s run for governor was a “merger” of campaigns before later dismissing his words as “tongue in cheek” and “business bravado.”

However, Cloobeck’s campaign spent millions on political research, and he claimed, “[Swalwell] has all my due diligence, all my research, everything,” before later clarifying there was “no data dump.”

Cloobeck did not respond to requests for comment.

On top of Cloobeck’s political spending, congressional gift reports show the timeshare mogul spent $31,000 on a trip flying Swalwell out to Nice, France.

Cloobeck has a reputation for eccentric, if not volatile, behavior.

Beyond a nasty breakup with an OnlyFans creator, a claimed in a lawsuit to be friends with Cloobeck for a decade before they started dating, accused Cloobeck of going on a “psychotic break” fueled by drugs and alcohol, including ketamine, according to a report by the San Francisco Standard.

Clobeck defended himself by making a crude comment about the woman’s sexual performance to a Vanity Fair reporter.

The lawsuit was later dismissed, and a settlement was reportedly reached.

Inside Cloobeck’s mansion, the decor includes a large image in his office depicting a man hoisting a Ku Klux Klan member in a noose — a piece he has used to signal his solidarity.

“See why I’m a Democrat?” Cloobeck told The Standard.

Swalwell has not only missed votes while posting videos of visits to Cloobeck’s home, but he also posted videos on Instagram of himself at the home during the government shutdown in October.

The Post found social media posts during Swalwell’s campaign rollout in November, another campaign stop in December and then again over multiple days in January.

Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell’s campaign, told Politico: “The campaign is grateful to have Stephen Cloobeck’s support in this race.”