Kathy Griffin spins word salad excuse for $10K Eric Swalwell donation — says she’s clawed it back

Comedian Kathy Griffin said she had initially contributed $10,000 to Eric Swalwell’s unsuccessful run for governor of California but later managed to recover the money and redirect it elsewhere.

Speaking on her podcast “Talk Your Head Off,” Griffin described getting the donation refunded from what she referred to as “Swalwell-world,” adding that she was pleased to have retrieved the funds. She went on to explain that she ultimately gave the money to Democracy Now!, a progressive media outlet.

Griffin had previously said she backed Swalwell in part because he was “a freaking white, straight guy.” In her latest remarks, she expanded on her thinking, saying her decision was influenced by the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, where Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump. Griffin claimed she believed Harris actually won the race.

She also pointed to comments attributed to former first lady Michelle Obama about whether the country was ready to elect a woman as president, saying those remarks factored into her perspective at the time.

Addressing the allegations against Swalwell, Griffin said she had not been aware of that side of him. He has been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple women during his time in Congress. The allegations include claims from a woman who said he drugged and raped her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2018, as well as from a former staffer who accused him of assault while she was intoxicated.

Following the accusations, Swalwell ended his gubernatorial campaign and resigned from the House of Representatives. He is now the subject of multiple investigations in California and New York.

Griffin was among several high-profile Hollywood figures who supported his campaign financially. Other donors included actors Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, and Jon Hamm, all of whom contributed significant sums before the campaign collapsed.