FBI Director Kash Patel is making efforts to revive an investigation into an alleged Chinese spy accused of ensnaring Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell in a ‘honey trap’ while he campaigns for governor of California. According to a report from The Washington Post on Saturday, Patel aims to disclose files related to this investigation, with insights from three knowledgeable sources. In response, Swalwell’s legal team, on Monday, urged the FBI to refrain from releasing these documents, threatening legal action if their demand isn’t met, as detailed by the Post.

Releasing files from an investigation that concluded without charges is highly uncommon for the FBI, especially when no misconduct has been proven against Swalwell. The congressman has been vocal in his criticism of former President Donald Trump, serving as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial related to the January 6 Capitol insurrection. In his 2023 book, Patel listed Swalwell among his so-called ‘government gangsters.’ The FBI’s inquiry scrutinized Swalwell’s interactions with Christine Fang, also known as ‘Fang Fang,’ a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who engaged with Swalwell and other California politicians between 2011 and 2015.

Fang initially approached Swalwell during his inaugural congressional campaign in 2012 and played a role in his fundraising efforts during the 2014 election cycle. Furthermore, The Post reported that she assisted in placing an intern within Swalwell’s office. Beyond California, Fang reportedly had romantic or sexual encounters with at least two Midwestern mayors, as revealed by Axios in December 2020. Following these revelations, former President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., accused Swalwell of having a sexual relationship with Fang, an allegation unsupported by evidence. Trump Jr. tweeted in December 2020, “So Rep Swalwell who spent years saying I was an agent of Russia was literally sleeping with a Chinese spy at the time.” By that point, Swalwell had already severed ties with Fang after federal authorities warned him of her suspicious activities in 2015.

The FBI found no evidence to charge Swalwell with wrongdoing and in 2023, the GOP-controlled House Ethics Committee closed a two-year probe into the Democrat, deciding to ‘take no further action,’ the Post reported. But with Patel, a top Trump ally, atop the FBI, the case is seeing new life. Patel has reassigned multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the Swalwell case and top FBI leaders have discussed sending agents to China to talk to Fang, in order to see if she has damaging information about the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, the newspaper reported. The FBI officials also floated giving Fang a US visa in exchange for information, the Post said. Giving a US visa to a suspected spy from a foreign adversary would also be a highly unusual move. The FBI pushed back on the optics of a refreshed investigation looking politically motivated.

‘The contentions in this story are incorrect,’ an FBI spokesperson told the Post. ‘This FBI, being the most transparent in history, prepares documents for numerous different reasons, including for release to different agencies and departments to further review investigations that may have been opened under previous administrations.’ Swalwell is a top candidate in a crowded field to replace term-limited California Governor Gavin Newsom. Currently two Republicans are topping the polls, due to the large number of Democratic candidates splitting the vote. The primary is June 2.

In a statement to the Post, Swalwell hit back alleging campaign interference. ‘We are at war. Gas prices are soaring. And the threats against the homeland are on the rise. But instead of concentrating on the issues most important to this country, Donald Trump and Kash Patel have decided to continue their revenge tour and to interfere in the California governor’s election,’ Swalwell said. ‘They believe they will get a servant in Sacramento.’ A long-held Department of Justice policy has instructed the FBI to refrain from taking public steps in a probe against a political candidates in the 60 days before an election, though it’s not enshrined in law. Swalwell’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Mail.