FBI Agents Raid Swalwell, Seize Personal Devices In Ongoing Probe

Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport and executed a search warrant at his Washington residence as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Agents reportedly approached Swalwell after he arrived in San Francisco on Saturday, presented a court-authorized warrant and took possession of his cellphone and other devices. A second warrant was executed Sunday at his Washington home, according to reports independently carried by Reuters and the Associated Press.

Swalwell reportedly cooperated with agents. Neither the searches nor the seizure of his property establishes guilt, and no criminal charges have been announced.

Federal Investigation Follows Multiple Accusations

At least four women have accused Swalwell of sexual assault or other misconduct.

One former staff member alleges that he assaulted her in 2019 and again in 2024, when she says she was too intoxicated to consent. Another woman has accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018. Two others allege that he sent them unsolicited explicit photographs.

Swalwell has denied the accusations, describing them as false.

The allegations led him to abandon his campaign for California governor and resign from Congress in April, ending a political career that once placed him among the Democratic Party’s most recognizable critics of President Donald Trump. His resignation also ended the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction over him.

Authorities in New York and Los Angeles have reportedly examined separate allegations. The existence of an investigation does not mean prosecutors have concluded that a crime occurred.

Search Warrants Mark Significant Escalation

The FBI’s seizure of Swalwell’s electronics represents a significant escalation beyond reviewing complaints or interviewing witnesses.

To obtain a federal search warrant, investigators generally must persuade a judge that probable cause exists to believe evidence of a crime will be found in the place or property searched. That standard is lower than the proof required for a criminal conviction, but it requires more than unsupported suspicion.

Investigators could potentially examine messages, photographs, location information and other digital records relevant to the accusers’ accounts.

The contents of the seized devices have not been disclosed.

Declassified Fang Records Add New Scrutiny

Swalwell’s name also resurfaced following the release of declassified FBI records concerning Christine Fang, the suspected Chinese intelligence operative known as “Fang Fang.”

According to the records, Swalwell acknowledged having a physical relationship with Fang on several occasions. ABC7 San Francisco reported that the documents contain the most detailed public account yet of their relationship and the FBI’s examination of Fang’s political activities.

Fang spent years cultivating relationships with rising California politicians. She reportedly helped collect campaign contributions for Swalwell and assisted in placing an intern in his congressional office.

Swalwell has not been charged with any crime connected to Fang, and law enforcement has not accused him of knowingly assisting Chinese intelligence.

The newly released records nevertheless revive serious questions about his judgment and previous handling of a relationship involving a suspected foreign operative.

Swalwell Admitted ‘Mistakes in Judgment’

While denying the sexual-assault accusations, Swalwell has acknowledged making what he called “mistakes in judgment” and apologized to his wife, Brittany Watts.

Questions surrounding their marriage intensified after photographs reportedly showed Watts leaving their Washington home without a wedding ring.

Such photographs do not establish the couple’s marital status, and neither has publicly confirmed a separation.

The federal investigation now presents a far more consequential question: whether evidence recovered from Swalwell’s devices supports any of the criminal allegations made against him.

Prosecutors must evaluate that evidence independently, and Swalwell remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.

But for a former congressman whose gubernatorial campaign collapsed before he resigned from office, the execution of two federal search warrants represents the most serious development yet.