Swalwell explains ties with alleged spy: Trump’s fault

FPI / December 10, 2020

As calls increase for Rep. Eric Swalwell's removal from Congress, or at the very least his seat on the House Intelligence Committee, the California Democrat has resorted to page one of the leftist playbook to explain his close ties to a Chinese spy — it's Trump's fault.

According to a Dec. 8 report by Axios Chinese national and suspected spy Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, “targeted up-and-coming local politicians in the Bay Area and across the country who had the potential to make it big on the national stage” through “campaign fundraising, extensive networking, personal charisma, and romantic or sexual relationships.”

Fang reportedly helped bring in top donors to Swalwell. She later left the U.S. in 2015 and returned to China. U.S. officials told Axios that they believe that China’s communist government ended her mission and called her back, perhaps because they saw signs that the U.S. government was closing in on her alleged activities.

Axios wrote, “Among the most significant targets of Fang’s efforts was Rep. Eric Swalwell. … Fang took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign. … Swalwell’s office was directly aware of these activities on its behalf.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Swalwell “not only should he be removed from the Intel [Committee]. He should be removed from Congress, as well.”

Swalwell responded to the article by claiming that the Trump administration leaked it to Axios.

“I’ve been a critic of the president. I’ve spoken out against him. I was on both committees that worked to impeach him. The timing feels like that should be looked at,” Swalwell told Politico.

Fang's activities took place from 2011 to 2015, the Axios report noted. She worked to influence the policies of her targets in U.S. government.

"In other words, she was trying to collude with U.S. politicians," Washington Times columnist Cheryl K. Chumley noted.

"This is hardly shocking. China wants to upset America’s global dominance," Chumley added.

"What is a bit shocking, though, is the fact one of her collusion targets, Rep. Eric Swalwell, who couldn’t wait to impeach President Donald Trump for false Russia collusion charges, is now shaking off any negative press here by — get this — accusing Trump of colluding with Axios. Or maybe it’s Axios colluding with Trump."

Chumley continued: "Now here’s the breathtaking hypocrisy: Swalwell, though, is a Democrat who stood strong on the side of 'Impeach Trump!' — for alleged Russia collusion. Those charges proved false. Now isn’t that sort of, kind of, a bit of what Swalwell himself was targeted by Fang to do? Wouldn’t now be a good time for Swalwell to show a side of humility that went lacking during his months and months and years of attacks on Trump?"

After spending years "smearing Trump with false Russia collusion charges," Swalwell "now is accusing Trump of colluding with Axios," Chumley noted.

Politico wrote: “The California Democrat says the president is trying to make him look bad.”

Chumley worte: "No, Swalwell. You’re doing a good job of that yourself."

McCarthy wondered if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  and Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff knew about Swalwell being targeted by a suspected Chinese spy.

In a Tuesday appearance on Fox News's "The Ingraham Angle", McCarthy said that members of the Intelligence Committee “are only selected for the Intel. Committee by the leaders of their party, meaning Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi is one of the Gang of Eight, along with myself. Did Nancy Pelosi know this had transpired when she put him on the committee? We have our Sen. Dianne Feinstein, for two decades, the personal assistant, that hear all the private phone calls in the car and others, a Chinese spy. Why did the Democrats pull out of the bipartisan China task force I had set up? Why did Speaker Pelosi pull out of that? Why have they denied certain bills that would hold China accountable, that have passed the Senate, not come to the floor? Why do they focus on Silicon Valley members of Congress? Why is he still on the Intel. Committee? Why is he still a member of Congress? Did Adam Schiff know, as chairman of that committee, that he had this problem?”

Free Press International