The revelation that an alleged Chinese spy placed at least one intern in the Washington, D.C., office of California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has House party leaders taking sides on whether congressional interns should be better vetted before working for lawmakers.
Christine Fang, who is suspected of being a Chinese spy, zeroed in on lawmakers and politicians around the Bay Area in California. She helped bundle donations for Swalwell, who is now a member of the Intelligence Committee, during his first reelection bid in 2014.
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And she not only helped place the intern in his Washington office, but she also facilitated the potential assignment of other interns, according to a report by Axios.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters Thursday that she had no concerns about Swalwell when asked if interns and aides should undergo background checks.
“I think we should make sure that everybody knows what they are being subjected to, but I don’t know if that it means that we have to do background checks for every intern who comes into the Capitol,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi said regarding Congress’s Gang of Eight, the top congressional leaders who are routinely given intelligence briefings: “In the Spring of 2015, the leadership of the House and the committee were informed that overtures from a Chinese person was — were being made to members of Congress.”
“When that was made known to the members of Congress, it was over,” she said. “You know, that was the end of any communication with those people.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, says Pelosi was irresponsible for appointing Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee and allowing him to remain on the committee after his relationship with Fang, which is still unclear, became known. McCarthy told reporters at a news conference Thursday that certain interns and staff who work for lawmakers on the Intelligence Committee should undergo background checks.
“If you’re on the intel committee, I think that would be appropriate,” McCarthy said. “You know what’s interesting to me — this individual actually bundled money to help him get elected. This individual, a China spy, went as far down into mayors’ offices as well. This is something that you have the director of intel John Ratcliffe warn the American public about is true, but the only person that went to challenge it and take China’s side was Eric Swalwell.”
Axios reported that Fang’s earliest known meeting with Swalwell happened through the Chinese Student Association, and by 2014, she maintained “close ties” with his office. There is no indication when Fang placed an intern in Swalwell’s D.C. office or when the intern left the office.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Swalwell’s office for a clearer idea and did not receive a response. However, according to congressional records, at least nine interns were hired by Swalwell between 2014 and 2015.
Some of Swalwell’s interns either previously worked for or went on to work in other Democratic congressional offices around the Capitol, including Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Cheri Bustos, Rep. Juan Vargas, Rep. Harley Rouda, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
Khanna was also targeted by Fang, according to Axios, when she volunteered for his failed 2014 House bid. Khanna was later elected to the House in 2016 and said the FBI never informed him of Fang’s activities.
Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican and member of the China Task Force, criticized both Swalwell and Khanna for their policy stances on China.
“You also have another politician named Ro Khanna, progressive from California, that’s on the Armed Services Committee with Swalwell,” Waltz said during an interview on Fox News Friday. “And he’s repeatedly pushed for defunding the military, withdrawing our troops, and even standing down key portions of our nuclear arsenal.”
