Congressman Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate in the California gubernatorial race, accused President Donald Trump this weekend of meddling in the election after reports that his administration is seeking to publicize files about Swalwell’s link to a Chinese spy.
Swalwell appeared in multiple media appearances to capitalize on the report and told CNN that Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel are “dangerous individuals.”
“Donald Trump and Kash Patel do not get to pick the next governor. Californians do,” Swalwell said on X.
Patel is reportedly pushing to release documents around Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence agent who cultivated ties with American politicians, according to the Washington Post.
Fang developed extensive ties with Swalwell when he was a city council member at Dublin. She bundled donations for his 2014 reelection campaign and recommended staff for his office. Fang allegedly had sexual relationships with at least two mayors.
Swalwell wasn’t immediately removed from a congressional committee over his ties to Fang, but Rep. Kevin McCarthy ordered a House Ethics Committee investigation into the incident after he became House Speaker in 2021.
In a podcast shared with the California Post, Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign insisted he was cleared of wrongdoing.
“The air was cleared immediately by the FBI when there was even a suggestion of wrongdoing,” Swalwell told the Sources Say podcast.
His connections with the Chinese spy have dogged his campaign for governor. The Democrat even got into an online spat with Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, who commented, “Call me crazy I like my politicians not to get tricked my foreign spies.”
Swalwell now seems to be trying to turn the spy connection into an advantage in the race in light of the Washington Post report.
In a video posted Sunday, he said the reports with Fang are a political hit job, part of why “Donald Trump attacks me almost every single week…It’s cause he sees me as a threat.”
Swalwell also referenced a federal criminal referral for alleged mortgage and tax fraud related to his purchase of a $1.2 million home in D.C. by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as one of the many jabs from Trump.
“I’ll be a fighter and protector for California, as I have always been,” Swalwell said, angling for an anti-Trump appeal to voters.
