FBI agents grabbed Eric Swalwell's electronics right at San Francisco International Airport.
The former Democratic congressman from California touched down on Saturday, August 15th, and instead of grabbing his luggage and heading home, he got greeted by federal agents with a search warrant and a keen interest in his cellphone. As reported, the very next day, agents showed up at his Washington, D.C., residence and executed another search warrant there too. A real coast to coast weekend for the guy.
Swalwell is currently facing a federal criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. No charges had been publicly announced as of August 22nd. Authorities did not arrest him during the airport encounter, which is the legal equivalent of "we're not done with you yet."
Here's where the timeline gets wild. Swalwell resigned from Congress back in April after multiple women accused him of conduct ranging from sexual assault to sending unsolicited explicit photos. One former staffer alleged she woke up in his hotel bed after a spring 2024 evening out in New York City and found him having sex with her. She said he refused to stop when she told him no. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office opened its own investigation into that allegation.
Four women total accused him of misconduct before he stepped down and torpedoed his own campaign for governor of California. Law enforcement in both New York and Los Angeles have announced separate investigations into alleged assaults. The Department of Homeland Security also looked into claims that he illegally employed a Brazilian nanny. Just a buffet of legal headaches.
Two sources confirmed the FBI's airport interception and the home search to the Daily Caller. Federal authorities have not disclosed what specific evidence they were after or what materials they recovered from the residence. Details about how long agents questioned Swalwell or whether anyone was with him remain unknown.
When Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign, he acknowledged unspecified "mistakes in judgment" while simultaneously denying the sexual misconduct allegations. His resignation also conveniently ended the House Ethics Committee's ability to investigate him, since they can only look into current members. Timing is everything.
Swalwell served California in the House since 2013 and even took a brief, forgettable swing at the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019. Now the White House Transparency Task Force has released documents claiming he had "physical relations" with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, known as "Fang Fang," on at least two occasions. Whether those records connect to the FBI's current warrants remains unclear.
The investigation was still active when the seizure and search became public on Thursday. Swalwell has denied all accusations, stating upon his resignation, "I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me." That fight apparently now includes trying to get his phone back.
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