An Axios investigative piece linked him to suspected Chinese Communist spy Christine Fang (also known as Fang Fang). The FBI briefed Swalwell on the situation in 2015 and he ended his association with her. He was elected to Congress in 2012 and she bundled donations for his 2014 re-election campaign. She also placed an intern in his office. There are several pictures from that period showing them posing together at events.
The concern raised by Republicans and conservative pundits is that Swalwell was placed on the House Intelligence Committee by Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2015. He had no background in intelligence (he was a prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office) before he was elected to Congress. He was a member of the Dublin City Councill at the time and upset 20-term Rep. Pete Stark, who was the longest serving and perhaps the most out-of-touch member of the House.
Seventeen Republican representatives signed a letter to Pelosi asking that Swalwell be removed from the committee. Pelosi steadfastly has refused to do so.
The nature of Swalwell’s relationship to Fang is unclear. Fox News host Tucker Carlson reported that it was sexual, while Swalwell’s office refused to confirm or deny whether they were sleeping together.
To be fair, it should be noted that Swalwell was single at the time (he met his wife in 2015 and they got married in 2016). Of course, being fair is something that Swalwell certainly has not practiced when he claimed in the media for the two-plus years of the Mueller Investigation that he has seen evidence of Trump collusion with the Russians. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the Intelligence Committee and chairman of the House impeachment effort, lied just like Swalwell did. It’s distressing to see former officers of the court (both were prosecutors) lie repeatedly to the media and the public. And even more upsetting to see the media consistently repeat the lies without demanding to see evidence.
Curiously when Swalwell was asked about the situation, he said he cooperated with the FBI and ended the relationship. He refused to answer any questions about the nature of the relationship, claiming it was a national security issue.
The Axios piece reported that Fang had sexual relationships with several other elected officials such as mayors.
It certainly has been an embarrassing time for Swalwell.