FBI seizes devices from Eric Swalwell in sexual misconduct investigation

Washington — FBI agents executed search warrants targeting former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell over the weekend and seized his electronic devices, two sources familiar with the matter told WTX US News, as part of a criminal probe into allegations of sexual misconduct by the former lawmaker.

One of the warrants was executed Saturday night after Swalwell landed at San Francisco International Airport, the sources said. The second targeted his residence in Washington, D.C., and was executed on Sunday. The Daily Mail first reported the searches.

According to a court filing Tuesday in the Northern District of California, an iPhone and a MacBook Pro were seized from Swalwell during the searches. 

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told WTX US News that one potential charge federal investigators are looking into regarding Swalwell is Section 242 of Title 18, which makes it “a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.”

According to the law, those “include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official’s lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties.”

News of the warrants comes months after Swalwell ended his gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress in April over allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct from several women. 

Swalwell, who represented Bay-Area districts from 2013 until his resignation, faced accusations from multiple women, including rape and unsolicited explicit messages and nude photos, prompting the bipartisan House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation. But the probe ended with Swalwell’s resignation from Congress, since the committee only has jurisdiction over current members and staff. 

Swalwell acknowledged making “mistakes in judgment,” but said an assault allegation was “false” and vowed to fight it.

On Monday, the White House also released declassified documents on the FBI’s investigation into Swalwell regarding his alleged relationship with a suspected spy more than a decade ago. The 97-page documents stem from the FBI’s investigation into Swalwell and his 2015 relationship with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Many of the details provided by the administration were already publicly known, and Swalwell was never charged in the matter.

Sources told WTX US News that FBI Director Kash Patel had been pressing to release the files from the investigation into Swalwell, a detail that was first reported by The Washington Post.