An alleged spy with ties to the Chinese Communist Party got so close to Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., that federal investigators had to step in and alert the congressman.
The suspected foreign agent, Christine Fang, was well-connected in California politics and “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,” according to Axios.
She first came into contact with Swalwell while she served as the head of two different student groups at California State University, where she enrolled in 2011.
Using these positions, Fang gained access to political events and fundraiser for several prominent California Democrats, including Swalwell, Reps. Ro Khanna, Judy Chu, and former Rep. Mike Honda.
Fang, however, was closest to Swalwell, according to Axios.
By 2014, she had developed “close ties” to Swalwell’s congressional office, helping him connect with big donors, successfully planting an intern in his office, and deepening his ties to her other Chinese connections.
This all came to a head in 2015 when “amid a widening counterintelligence probe, federal investigators became so alarmed by Fang’s behavior and actives that they alerted Swalwell to their concerns — giving him what is known as a defensive briefing,” Axios said.
Fang reportedly had sexual relationships with several politicians across the country, but Swalwell has refused to say whether he he had sexual relations with her.
When pressed by Fox News, Swalwell’s office reportedly said it could not say because that information could be “classified,” according to host Tucker Carlson.
Swalwell claimed the story about his connection to Fang broke only because he has been critical of President Trump.
“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,” he told Politico.
