Declassified FBI files released by the White House on Monday reveal that former Representative Eric Swalwell admitted to investigators in 2015 that he had a physical relationship with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, according to newly released documents.
The files stem from a three-year FBI counterintelligence probe code-named “Freshman Fifteen” that ran from May 2014 to May 2017. Swalwell told FBI agents he “hooked up” with Fang at least twice at his apartment, including once after he had taken an Ambien sleep aid and “barely” recalled the encounter, according to the New York Post’s review of the declassified records.
Fang, also known by her given name Christine Fang, was a Chinese national who posed as a student at California State University, East Bay, while conducting political intelligence operations in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2011 to 2015. Both Swalwell and other associates interviewed by the FBI indicated they viewed her as a potential spy for China’s Ministry of State Security, the country’s intelligence agency. Swalwell jokingly referred to the MSS as the “Chinese CIA” during his interview with agents.
The investigation found that Fang helped solicit illegal campaign donations to Swalwell’s re-election campaign, securing at least four “conduit contributions” in 2013 and 2014. According to an FBI memo, Fang was part of a scheme where “campaign contributions were conduited through third parties to mask the true identity of the donor and in some cases made by foreign nationals in violation of federal criminal law.” However, FBI agents were unable to substantiate a quid pro quo allegation that Swalwell knowingly participated in the scheme. The investigation also uncovered evidence that Fang broke the law by soliciting illegal straw donations, destroying records, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Fang’s parents were known intelligence officers in China’s Ministry of State Security, and she maintained ties to other MSS affiliates. Interview subjects told the FBI that Fang “was very private and would frequently be gone without any explanation,” despite being enrolled as a student. A former Swalwell campaign aide confirmed to FBI agents that Fang was “very flirtatious” and had even boasted to the congressman that she was “not wearing any underwear” when arriving at his doorstep unannounced.
The FBI’s undercover operation, approved by the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, was derailed when Fang privately disclosed suspicions that her contact was a government agent and subsequently left the United States. According to the declassified files, “Fang left the United States in [redacted] and has been barred from re-entry pursuant to Security and Advisory Opinions issued by the United States Department of State.”
The FBI had hoped the probe would gather sufficient evidence to indict and arrest both Swalwell and Fang for campaign finance law violations, but neither was charged. In consultation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the FBI determined that “prosecution is non-viable due to national security reasons,” according to a May 2, 2017, bureau memo.
The declassified files were made available by the White House after Swalwell threatened legal action earlier this year to block their release. At the time, Swalwell was the frontrunner in the California gubernatorial race. In April 2026, he resigned from Congress following allegations of sexual misconduct that emerged publicly and forced him to withdraw from the governor’s race.
Swalwell’s connection to Fang first became public in December 2020 when Axios reported the relationship. In January 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from his post on the House Intelligence Committee, citing Fang’s relationship with the congressman as a national security threat. The newly declassified files provide far more detailed documentation of the FBI investigation that had remained largely sealed for nearly a decade.
Sources
- New York Post — detailed review of declassified FBI memos on the three-year investigation, Fang’s illegal donation activities, and Swalwell’s admissions to agents
- Fox News — confirmation of Swalwell’s 2015 admission to FBI agents of intimate relations with Fang
- BBC News — reporting on Swalwell’s resignation from Congress in April 2026 following sexual misconduct allegations
- Axios — original December 2020 reporting on Fang’s relationship with Swalwell and other California politicians
