Federal agents grabbed Eric Swalwell's electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport this past weekend.
The former California congressman, who once sat on the powerful House Intelligence Committee, was confronted by FBI agents carrying a search warrant, as first reported this week. After snagging his phone and other gadgets at the airport, investigators rolled up to his Washington, D.C. residence and collected even more evidence. The probe is centered on federal sexual assault allegations, and it is still very much active.
Let that sink in. A guy who spent years on cable television pointing fingers at everyone else over foreign entanglements and national security risks just got his house tossed by the feds.
Multiple women have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct and assault, with allegations surfacing earlier this year. Among the accusers is a congressional staffer who claims two separate incidents occurred while she was intoxicated and could not give consent. Legal experts note that if those accounts prove true, the conduct described would constitute rape under federal law. At least three additional women have also come forward.
Swalwell stepped away from his congressional seat in April and put his California governor's race on ice once the accusations went public. He has categorically denied every claim, calling them "flat false" and vowing to fight back.
But here is the thing about federal search warrants. Judges do not hand those out like candy. Investigators had to present specific probable cause to a federal judge, convincing the court that criminal evidence likely existed on those seized devices and inside that home. This is well past the "just asking questions" phase.
And then there is the Christine Fang situation, which makes this whole mess exponentially wilder. Recently declassified FBI documents confirm that Swalwell admitted on multiple occasions to having a sexual relationship with Fang, a woman the bureau believed was operating as a Chinese intelligence asset. Those same files reveal Fang funneled illegal campaign contributions to Swalwell using straw donors and even managed to plant interns inside his congressional office. The FBI initially investigated potential bribery and campaign finance crimes before shifting focus entirely onto Fang, who promptly fled back to China and was never prosecuted.
So to recap the absurdity here. This is the same man who enjoyed top security clearance on one of the most sensitive committees in Congress. This is the same politician who spent every waking moment on television insisting that Donald Trump was compromised by a foreign power. All while, according to now public FBI records, he was romantically involved with a suspected Chinese spy.
Sources indicate Swalwell was cooperative when agents approached him at the airport. But cooperating with law enforcement is not the same thing as being innocent. His devices are now sitting in an FBI evidence locker. His home has been thoroughly searched. The investigation is pushing forward.
The very agency that progressives once celebrated as democracy's last line of defense is now running search warrants on one of their favorite political allies. Funny how that works out.
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