Former Rep. Eric Swalwell reportedly surrendered his cellphone and other electronic devices to federal agents at San Francisco International Airport under a search warrant as authorities investigate multiple sexual misconduct allegations that he has denied.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Federal agents reportedly seized former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s cellphone and other electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport over the weekend as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against the former California congressman.
Swalwell, 45, was approached by FBI agents Saturday after arriving at the airport and was served with a search warrant authorizing the seizure of electronic devices and other potential evidence, according to a Daily Mail report.
Sources cited by the outlet said Swalwell cooperated with federal agents during the encounter.
The reported search was followed Sunday by additional court-approved searches at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., residence, where investigators reportedly collected other potential evidence.
A source subsequently confirmed the airport encounter to the New York Post.
Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department immediately commented on the reported searches.
The reported federal action comes amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell, all of which he has denied.
At least four women have publicly accused the former congressman of misconduct, according to the reports.
One former staff member has alleged that Swalwell raped her twice, once in 2019 and again in 2024, when she says she was too intoxicated to consent.
A separate woman has accused Swalwell of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018.
Two additional women have alleged that he sent them unsolicited sexually explicit images.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and Swalwell has maintained his innocence.
The Justice Department opened an investigation into the allegations in April, according to the Daily Mail and New York Post reports.
The accusations also produced major political consequences for Swalwell.
He ended his campaign for governor of California after the allegations surfaced and resigned from Congress in April while facing an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
Swalwell had served seven terms in the House of Representatives and became one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent Democratic critics. He also briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2020 election cycle before withdrawing from that race.
The reported searches come as Swalwell also faces renewed public scrutiny over his past association with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative commonly known as “Fang Fang.”
Newly declassified records released by the White House Transparency Task Force reportedly state that Swalwell acknowledged to the FBI that he had “occasionally hooked up” with Fang.
Fang had developed relationships with rising California political figures and helped bundle campaign contributions for Swalwell’s 2014 reelection effort.
The declassified material reportedly also indicates that the FBI at one point attempted to recruit Fang without her knowledge.
Swalwell has not been accused by law enforcement of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Fang.
The current federal investigation is separate and concerns the sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
The seizure of Swalwell’s electronic devices does not establish that he committed a crime. Search warrants generally require investigators to demonstrate probable cause to a court that evidence relevant to an investigation may be found in the place or property being searched, but the execution of a warrant is not itself a finding of guilt.
Swalwell has continued to deny the allegations against him as investigators examine electronic records and other evidence reportedly collected at the airport and his Washington residence.
Original article
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