House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went on the record defending Congressman Eric Swalwell for his romantic relationship with a Chinese spy, while simultaneously calling to stand against “undue Chinese influence.” Earlier this week, an Axios report cast the spotlight back upon Swalwell; this time for a less comical and significantly more important reason: a close personal—and purported intimate—relationship with a Chinese spy.
Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell of California gained notoriety toward the end of 2019 after his failed run for President, during President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings; throughout the course of which, he allegedly farted during a live interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
Earlier this week, an Axios report cast the spotlight back upon Swalwell; this time for a less comical and significantly more important reason: a close personal—and purported intimate—relationship with a Chinese spy.
According to the report, the Chinese national named Fang Fang or Christine Fang “targeted up-and-coming local politicians in the Bay Area and across the country who had the potential to make it big on the national stage.”
Fang formed connections with several California Democrats, including Swalwell, who she first met when he served as city councilman, according to Axios. Axios also reports that Fang “gained proximity to political power” via “campaign fundraising, extensive networking, personal charisma, and romantic or sexual relationships.”
The report states, “Fang helped place at least one intern in Swalwell’s office…and interacted with Swalwell at multiple events over the course of several years.” Swalwell, who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, can be seen in several photos at different events with Fang.
According to Swalwell’s website, the committee “is charged with oversight of the United States intelligence community, which includes the intelligence related activities of 17 elements of the U.S. Government, and the Military Intelligence Program.” Swalwell is also the chair of the Intelligence Modernization and Readiness Subcommittee, which is involved in, inter alia, “fostering…security clearance reform.”
Fang was suspected of working covertly in the United States from 2011 to 2015 by counterintelligence authorities, according to Axios. Authorities believed that Fang was working on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security—Beijing’s primary spy service. Axios reported that federal investigators were so disturbed by Fang’s behavior and activities that they gave Swalwell a “defensive briefing” and informed him about their various concerns. Swalwell then severed ties with Fang, according to an official who spoke to Axios.
On Tuesday, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson pointed out that Swalwell’s position on the Intelligence Committee provides him “unrestricted access to classified information. The host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” also delineated the irony in the fact that Swalwell had emphatically and consistently purported that President Donald Trump was an agent of Russia.
“The irony is overwhelming,” exclaimed Carlson. “It’s always those who have the most to hide who attack other people for the very things they’ve done — always. Even at the time he was saying it, it was obvious to us that something was very wrong with Eric Swalwell.”
Carlson also noted that Swalwell had previously held and propagated views that were consistent with and favorable to China with respect to the Trump Administration’s position with North Korea and its opposition to the Iran nuclear deal.
During his show on Wednesday night, Carlson displayed a graphic—alluding to the film “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”—with Swalwell’s face photoshopped over Mike Myers’. The chyron during this segment read: “SWALWELL COMPROMISED BY CHINESE SPY.”
In a statement to Fox News on Wednesday, Drew Hammill—a spokesperson for Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—said that Pelosi has “full confidence in Congressman Swalwell’s service in the Congress and on the Intelligence Committee.”
The Daily Caller reports that Swalwell is “diverting his role by claiming he is the victim of a political hit job” due to his open criticism of President Trump and his involvement during impeachment.
“At the same time this story was being leaked out is the time that I was working on impeachment on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees,” Swalwell said during an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
Swalwell has stated that he stopped communicating with Fang after being briefed and, according to Fox News, Fang left the United States in the middle of 2015.
However, DailyMail’s Katelyn Caralle tweeted on Wednesday that, Eric Swalwell’s father and brother were still Facebook friends with Fang. Moreover, according to Caralle, Swalwell’s father, also named Eric, “liked a picture [Fang] posted on March 12, 2020.”
According to DailyMail, it wasn’t until this morning that the two family members unfriended Fang on Facebook and “finally cut ties.”
Swalwell’s office has refused to answer queries on whether or not Swalwell’s relationship with Fang was sexual citing the matter as “classified.”
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