The FBI stopped former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport this weekend and seized his electronics, two sources confirmed to the Daily Caller.
The airport confrontation marks a significant escalation in what has become one of the most politically explosive investigations involving a former member of Congress in recent years. Federal agents intercepting a former lawmaker at an airport and confiscating personal devices signals that investigators are moving aggressively to preserve potential evidence.
Agents also executed a search warrant at his Washington, D.C., home. Swalwell is at the center of a federal criminal investigation.
The dual-pronged enforcement action—simultaneously seizing electronics at an airport while executing a search warrant at his residence—suggests investigators may have been concerned about the potential destruction of evidence. Such coordinated operations are typically reserved for cases where prosecutors believe there is a substantial risk that evidence could be compromised if advance notice were given.
Two sources confirm the FBI stopped former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco airport this weekend and seized his electronics.
The White House Transparency Task Force declassified documents Monday showing Swalwell allegedly had “physical relations” with Christine Fang, known as “Fang Fang,” at least twice.
Fang is a suspected Chinese spy.
The declassification of these documents represents a dramatic shift in how intelligence information about Swalwell has been handled. For years, details about his interactions with Fang remained classified, sparking partisan debates about whether the public had a right to know about a sitting congressman’s connections to a suspected foreign intelligence operative. The timing of the declassification, coming just after the FBI’s enforcement actions, raises questions about whether the two developments are connected or whether the release of this information was long planned.
Two sources confirm to @DailyCaller that the FBI stopped former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco airport this weekend and seized his electronics.
Agents also executed a search warrant at his D.C. home.
Swalwell is under criminal investigation for alleged sexual misconduct.
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) August 20, 2026
The former California congressman resigned from Congress earlier this year after facing a slew of sexual misconduct allegations.
Swalwell’s departure from Congress ended a political career that had spanned over a decade. He had represented California’s 15th congressional district and served on high-profile committees, including the House Intelligence Committee, where he had access to some of the nation’s most sensitive classified information. His fall from political prominence has been swift and stunning, transforming him from a rising Democratic star into a former congressman under federal investigation.
At the time, Swalwell was mounting a bid for California governor and had emerged as a potential frontrunner in the Democratic primary.
His gubernatorial ambitions represented what many political observers saw as a natural next step in his career trajectory. California’s governor’s race is among the most prominent and expensive state-level contests in the nation, and Swalwell’s strong name recognition and fundraising capacity had positioned him as a serious contender in what was expected to be a crowded field.
One former staffer accused Swalwell of serious misconduct. According to CNN, she alleged that after a spring 2024 night out in New York, she woke up to Swalwell having intercourse with her in his hotel bed. She continued to allege that he refused to stop when she said no.
The allegation prompted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to open an investigation into the congressman.
Manhattan prosecutors have jurisdiction because the alleged incident reportedly occurred within New York County. The District Attorney’s Office has a specialized unit that handles sex crimes cases and has prosecuted numerous high-profile individuals in recent years. Whether the current FBI investigation is related to, separate from, or coordinated with the Manhattan investigation remains unclear.
Swalwell has denied the allegations. In a statement announcing his resignation, he said, “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me.”
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 13, 2026
His resignation came shortly after he suspended his gubernatorial campaign, citing “mistakes in judgment.”
The language Swalwell used in suspending his campaign appeared to acknowledge some level of wrongdoing, even as he denied the most serious allegations against him. The phrase “mistakes in judgment” left ambiguous exactly what conduct he was referencing, fueling continued speculation about what other information might emerge.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
I am suspending my campaign for Governor.
To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past.
I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 13, 2026
