Eric Swalwell being named as a manager in the second impeachment hearing against President Trump has come across as an insult to many Republicans.
In the wake of the scandal over his relationship with a Chinese intelligence asset named Fang Fang, the California representative appears to be only rewarded for his bad behavior, some lawmakers say.
“A member of the Intelligence Committee who slept with and took money from a Chinese spy is trying to convince people that someone else is unfit for office,” one GOP lawmaker and ally of Trump told the Washington Examiner. “He’s a perfect leader for this entire farce.”
The move took some Republicans by surprise, particularly as a number of House Republicans have called for Swalwell to be removed from the House Committee on Intelligence, saying his prior relationship with Fang constituted a threat to national security. Some GOP lawmakers, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, have called for him to leave the House altogether.
“He was the most over-the-top critic of President Trump on Russia collusion, and it turns out he’s sleeping with a Chinese spy,” Paul said in December. “I mean, my goodness. The hypocrisy. It’s appalling, and he really should be red-faced and ashamed of himself and really probably ought to just resign from Congress.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Swalwell as an impeachment manager on Tuesday, calling the role a “solemn privilege.” The lead manager for the case is Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin. Democratic Reps. Diana Degette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Ted Lieu of California, Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Joe Neguse of Colorado, and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania will also assist in the efforts.
“They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Our Managers will honor their duty to defend democracy For The People with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.”
Swalwell’s role in the impeachment hearing demonstrates his climb up the party ranks even after the Fang revelations. Pelosi has since defended Swalwell from GOP attacks over the controversy, calling them a distraction from the election of GOP candidates who believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Even before the Fang story broke, Swalwell had become a lightning rod of GOP criticism. For years, he remained a committed believer in a maximalist conspiracy theory himself and publicly posited on numerous occasions that Trump took orders from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
On Wednesday afternoon, Swalwell signaled his commitment to inflammatory rhetoric against the GOP in an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff and compared the riot on Capitol Hill to 9/11.
“Well, Osama Bin Laden did not enter U.S. soil on Sept. 11, but it was widely acknowledged that he was responsible for inspiring the attack on our country, and the president, with his words, using the word ‘fight’ … that is hate speech that inspired and radicalized people to storm the capital,” he said.
Former members of the military and intelligence communities have called Swalwell’s conduct with Fang the kind that would land average citizens in front of a judge, or at the very least subject to losing their security clearance altogether.
“Eric Swalwell was compromised by a Chinese spy, but Speaker Pelosi refused to remove Swalwell from the House Intel committee,” GOP Indiana Rep. Jim Banks told the Washington Examiner. “Instead, she’s rewarding him with his favorite thing, time in front of a camera. This impeachment is already shaping up to be just like the last one—a made-for-TV circus.”
On Monday, Swalwell and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert traded barbs over Twitter, with the last word coming from the freshman Republican. Boebert has come under fire for tweeting Pelosi’s location during the Capitol Hill riots earlier this month.
“Did you give the same legal advice to Fang Fang?” Boebert asked in response to a tweet from Swalwell facetiously recommending she invoke “the right to remain silent.”
With just a week before Inauguration Day, some Republicans point to the timing of the impeachment hearings as more evidence of Pelosi’s lack of seriousness on the issue. Although six Republicans have said they will vote “Yes” on the articles of impeachment, the House GOP is expected to overwhelmingly vote against the effort.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, rejected Democratic calls for an expedited trial, meaning any effort to formally prosecute Trump would happen after Biden is already sworn into office.
Since Trump took office, Swalwell has used his role on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees as a way to investigate the president. He proved instrumental in the 2019 House impeachment investigation against Trump and paired up with Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff in subpoena interpreter Marina Gross and former special counsel Robert Mueller.
“What we have to do now in Congress is figure out how we hold him accountable,” Swalwell said in an interview with the New York Times in June 2019. “What we do next will not only make sure that it checks an out-of-control, abusive executive but also it sets the standard for future presidents.”
