"No concern." "Pernicious nonsense." "Spurious allegations." A "frivolous, political exercise." Those were among the defenses senior Democrats mounted on former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s behalf as former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to force the California Democrat off the powerful House Intelligence Committee over his relationship with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine 'Fang Fang' Fang. Now, newly declassified FBI records and a raid on his home are casting fresh light on Swalwell's relationship with Fang Fang that Democrats denied and previously argued did not justify McCarthy’s actions.
The newly declassified records, released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force Monday, detail two FBI interviews with Swalwell, both conducted as part of a broader investigation examining Fang Fang’s involvement with illicit campaign contributions, funneling interns to Swalwell's office and other activity. DECLASSIFIED FBI DOCS REVEAL SWALWELL HAD SEX WITH 'FANG FANG' MULTIPLE TIMES Meanwhile, FBI agents seized Swalwell's electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, while his Washington, D.C. residence was subsequently searched the following day, as part of a probe into sexual misconduct. "I sat in on that briefing.
And when Kevin McCarthy misrepresents it and does that disservice to the American people, it’s shameful," then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in January 2023 as McCarthy blocked Swalwell from returning to the Intelligence Committee. Schiff, who had chaired the House Intelligence Committee, added that Swalwell had "served honorably" on the panel, had "never been accused of any kind of wrongdoing" and called McCarthy’s criticism a "patently unfair smear." "Mr.
Speaker, I have rarely heard such pernicious nonsense as we heard from the minority leader a few minutes ago. Swalwell of having a Chinese spy or Chinese agent in his campaign. I understand he has introduced a resolution to remove Mr.
Swalwell from his committee for that purpose," Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said during remarks from the House floor. McCarthy ought to be ashamed because he is an experienced campaigner—he knows this—for raising these spurious allegations." SWALWELL RESIGNATION COLLIDES WITH CHINA-LINKED SCANDAL AS CRITICS DEMAND FILE RELEASE The newly declassified files show for the first time publicly that the FBI’s concerns about Swalwell went beyond just the fact he had a romantic relationship with Fang Fang, which Swalwell admitted to in the interviews uncovered in the file.
The declassified documents also showed agents had launched a full investigation tied to Fang Fang examining possible bribery, foreign campaign contributions and efforts to trade access to Swalwell and congressional internships for political donations. The records also show how the FBI viewed Fang as a significant counterintelligence concern, suspecting ties to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) and at one point attempting to recruit her as an FBI confidential source. PELOSI, CALIFORNIA DEMS SLAM SWALWELL OVER BOMBSHELL SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS: 'INDEFENSIBLE' Investigators ultimately did not find evidence that Swalwell participated in a quid-pro-quo scheme or committed federal corruption violations, and he was removed as a subject of the investigation in 2017.
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