On Saturday, FBI agents confronted former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport and seized his phone and electronic devices. No courtesy call. No polite letter from a lawyer asking him to come in when it's convenient. It was just here's the warrant Mr. Swalwell, now hand me your personal property!
They also executed a search warrant at his Washington, D.C. residence the same day. His wife and children were not present.
Swalwell, 45, the California Democrat who once sat on the House Intelligence Committee is now the subject of a criminal probe that the Department of Justice officially opened back in April 2026. The investigation centers on accusations of sexual misconduct. A former staffer has alleged that Swalwell raped her twice while she was intoxicated. And other women have alleged inappropriate touching, unsolicited pictures being sent to them as well as admitting to sleeping with the married politician.
Swalwell reportedly cooperated with the agents. Which is the smart legal play when the alternative is "obstruct a federal investigation on camera at an airport terminal."
Now, for those keeping score at home, this is the same Eric Swalwell whose relationship with Christine Fang — the Chinese intelligence operative known as "Fang Fang" — became one of the more spectacular counterintelligence embarrassments in recent congressional history. Democrats, even after they were briefed on what Swalwell had been doing with a Chinese spy didn't remove him from the Intelligence Committee, which gave him access to top secret materials and information. He was defended by Nancy Pelosi.
The timing matters, too. Swalwell resigned from Congress and dropped out of the election race to be California's next governor four short months ago. He was leading in every poll at the time he dropped out. He's no longer a sitting member of Congress. He no longer has the institutional armor that comes with being a legislator. He's a private citizen now, and private citizens get their bags checked.
For years, Swalwell positioned himself as one of the loudest voices demanding investigations into his political opponents. He sat on the impeachment panel. He went on cable news nightly to talk about accountability and the rule of law.
The FBI just showed him what accountability actually looks like. It arrives unannounced, at baggage claim, on a Saturday.
