Eric Swalwell, a candidate for California governor, declared that “the case is closed” during a sudden news conference. This statement comes as FBI Director Kash Patel has threatened to publicize files from an investigation regarding a suspected Chinese spy who allegedly infiltrated Swalwell’s office.

Speaking briefly outside the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco on Monday, Swalwell emphasized, “This case is closed — the bureau concluded over 10 years ago that all we did was cooperate.” He made these remarks while surrounded by SEIU union officials.

The representative from East Bay criticized FBI Director Kash Patel, labeling him a “temporary employee” misusing his authority by revisiting the investigation involving Swalwell and Christine Fang. Fang, believed to be an asset for the Chinese Communist Party, began forming connections with Swalwell when he served on the Dublin city council.

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Known as “Fang Fang,” Christine Fang was a student at California State University East Bay who engaged with Swalwell at various events, according to a 2020 Axios report. She reportedly assisted in raising funds for his campaign and suggested interns for his office.

During Trump’s administration, officials directed FBI agents to collect records from the decade-old investigation into Swalwell’s association with Fang. She allegedly left the United States in 2015 after establishing a network that included romantic or sexual relationships with two midwestern mayors, as reported by Axios.

The order “alarmed” some career investigations, the New York Times reported — partly because the files are “extensive” and include a substantial amount of classified and private information.

Swalwell is considered the Democratic frontrunner in the race for California governor and accused Trump and Patel of “weaponizing” federal law enforcement to meddle in the race.

“They think that if they can sneak two Republican loyalists past the June threshold, they can ignore the
will of the voters. But the choice belongs to Californians, and they will never let it go,” Swalwell said.

“Democrats will be in the majority in about nine months, and when we control the House of Representatives after the midterms, anyone on any level who has done wrong to you, who has pressured you to do something you know you should not do, they will be dragged by my colleagues into a hearing.”

Swalwell’s relationship with Fang — which came to light as he was serving on a key House intelligence committee — have dogged his campaign for governor.

The FBI and a House ethics committee did not identify any wrongdoing on Swalwell’s part in the espionage case, but former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ordered a House ethics probe when he became speaker in 2021.

Swalwell waved away the scandal as “lies and bullshit” in a podcast interview last week, adding: “Independent folks have said enough on this.”

Swalwell’s main campaign committee, called Swalwell for Congress, has spent more than $305,000 since 2016 on unspecified “legal services” from law firm Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass — which specializes in civil litigation and white-collar defense.

A campaign spokesperson told KCRA the payments were for legal guidance amid Trump’s “retaliatory investigations” that put the congressman’s “family and staff at risk.”