McCarthy, Pelosi receive FBI briefing on Swalwell

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a briefing Friday from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) association with an alleged Chinese spy. 

McCarthy called for the briefing following a recent report from Axios stating that Christine Fang, who also goes by Fang Fang, targeted Swalwell along with a number of other high-profile California Democrats. 

According to the Axios’s report, Fang allegedly helped fundraise for Swalwell during his 2014 reelection campaign and helped place an unpaid intern inside his office.  

In an interview with Politico last week, Swalwell said he severed contact with Fang after he was alerted by federal investigators of alleged suspicious activity and is not accused of any wrongdoing.  

He also said Democratic leadership knew about the interactions. 

Earlier this month, McCarthy called for Swalwell to resign from the House Intelligence Committee, stating the California Democrat is a “liability.” 

Following the briefing Friday, McCarthy reiterated his push for Swalwell to be removed from the House Intelligence Committee, arguing that the briefing raised more questions and accusing the Democratic lawmaker of being a national security threat. 

“One thing I know for sure — I had questions about whether he should. That’s the one question that was answered, he should not be on Intel,” he told reporters.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have also called for an FBI briefing on China’s efforts to target lawmakers. 

Swalwell has previously questioned the timing of the report, arguing that the leak could be politically motivated due to his vocal rebukes of the Trump administration. 

Fang left the United States in 2015 during the FBI investigation into her activities.