Newly declassified FBI files show former California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell admitted to having a sexual relationship with Chinese spy Christine Fang over a decade ago.
Swalwell had “physical relations” with “Fang Fang” on at least two different occasions. Interviewed by the FBI in May 2015, the congressman said he had sex with the suspected Chinese operative but never had a serious romantic relationship with her. His confessions were revealed in investigative documents released by the White House Transparency Task Force on Monday.
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Swalwell was first elected to the House in 2012, around the time when he first met Fang.
In April, Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his campaign for California governor following a series of rape and sexual assault allegations made by several women. The bombshell allegations, which Swalwell denies, were unrelated to his involvement with Fang.
The Chinese spy caught national attention in 2020 when Axios reported on her efforts to build connections with California politicians, including Swalwell.
Federal investigators believed Fang was orchestrating a scheme in which she helped place at least one intern in Swalwell’s congressional office and solicited illegal campaign contributions on the congressman’s behalf. After the FBI briefed him, Swalwell cut off all ties to Fang. She left the United States amid the active investigation and was later barred from reentering the country.
Fang was never prosecuted for allegedly violating federal election and campaign finance laws, and the federal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing committed by Swalwell.
Earlier this year, he accused FBI Director Kash Patel of targeting the president’s political opponents amid reports that the bureau was moving to revive the case. Those reports came just weeks before the House Democrat’s political career abruptly ended.
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The newly released investigative files detail Swalwell’s account of a sexual encounter he had with Fang. At the time, the California Democrat admitted he “hooked up” with her one night but noted he could barely remember the experience because he took sleep medication before she arrived at his apartment unannounced. March 2015 was the last time the two had a physical relationship, according to the documents.
“There is nothing new here. The government’s own memorandum confirms what Congressman Swalwell has said for more than a decade: he did nothing wrong, and there was no basis to charge him with any offense,” Swalwell’s lawyer Sara Azari said in response to the FBI files. “The facts have not changed. Only the political motive for publicizing them has. That should concern anyone who believes federal law enforcement must remain independent of political retribution.”
