[Federalist] House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff did not respond to The Federalist's questions about Intelligence Committee member and California Rep. Eric Swalwell's position on the committee in light of recent news revealing Swalwell's connections with a suspected Chinese spy.When asked whether Swalwell's position on the House Intelligence Committee would be tainted or compromised by his relationship with Christine Fang, a suspected spy for communist China, Swalwell's office did not reply as of press time. According to a new report by Axios, Fang leveraged her position and connections in California's Bay Area for years to gather intelligence on Democrat politicians and government officials.
Schiff's office also did not respond when asked if he previously knew about Swalwell's involvement with Fang or if he was briefed about Swalwell's relationship with Fang.
Swalwell also refused to answer The Federalist's questions about the extent of his relationship with Fang, ignoring allegations from sources directly familiar with the counterintelligence investigation of Fang who told The Federalist that she and Swalwell may have had a sexual relationship.
According to the two sources, federal officials were so concerned about the romantic relationship between a U.S. congressman and a suspected Chinese spy that they even investigated whether Swalwell may have tipped Fang off about the counterintelligence investigation after he was given a defensive briefing on the matter shortly before Fang disappeared from the U.S. in 2015. A senior U.S. intelligence official told The Federalist that investigators only uncovered limited circumstantial evidence that Swalwell may have tipped Fang off after he was warned of her connections to Chinese intelligence.
According to Axios, Fang raised money and bundled donors for Swalwell, and even placed an intern in the congressman's Washington's D.C. office.
When contacted by The Federalist, Swalwell's office pointed to the generalized statement they gave Axios.
"Rep. Swalwell, long ago, provided information about this person ‐ whom he met more than eight years ago, and whom he hasn't seen in nearly six years ‐ to the FBI. To protect information that might be classified, he will not participate in your story," Swalwell's office said.
[Sure, sure, reporting foreign contacts "might be classified". Uh-huh.]