FBI Director Kash Patel is urging the release of investigative files related to Representative Eric Swalwell of California and his connections with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy, as reported by various sources.
According to The Hill, which referenced reports from both the New York Times and the Washington Post, the call for transparency follows revelations from 2021. During that time, it was confirmed that the U.S. Intelligence Community possessed a classified report detailing the complex and reportedly intimate interactions between Swalwell and Fang, also known as “Fang Fang.”
The Hill’s coverage highlights that the referenced report includes allegations of sexual conduct between Swalwell and Fang. While Swalwell dismissed the report as part of a conspiracy theory, he did not dispute the existence of the intelligence documents.
The Hill also notes that releasing files from investigations that do not lead to criminal charges is an uncommon practice, as pointed out by the Post.
The files stem from a decade-old counterintelligence probe into a Chinese woman, known both as Christine Fang and Fang Fang, who reportedly helped Swalwell with fundraising and placing an intern in his office during the 2014 campaign cycle.
In another development, FBI officials have reportedly considered the possibility of sending agents to China to interview Fang. They believe she may possess information that could be detrimental to the California congressman, according to sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
In response to the recent Post report, Swalwell claimed “Donald Trump is targeting me. He’s trying to influence the election. There is only one reason why: he’s scared.”
According to the Hill, “The public release of files in an investigation that did not result in criminal charges would mark a highly unusual step, the Post noted.
FBI leaders have also discussed sending agents to China to talk to Fang because they believe she could have damaging information on the California lawmaker, the newspaper reported, citing two people familiar with the investigation.”
The Democrat is currently running for governor of California, and – News reported in January that his “dealings with Chinese communists may be coming back to haunt him” during the campaign.
