Disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., admitted to FBI agents that he had \u201cphysical relations\u201d with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine \u201cFang Fang\u201d Fang on a \u201chandful of occasions,\u201d newly declassified FBI records show.
\nThe records, which were declassified by President Donald Trump and released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force Monday, detail two FBI interviews with Swalwell \u2014 one at an Oakland field office in May 2015 and another at the same location in March 2016 \u2014 conducted as part of a broader investigation examining Fang Fang\u2019s involvement with illicit campaign contributions, funneling interns to Swalwell\u2019s office and other activity.
\nDuring the first interview, Swalwell told agents he had \u201cphysical relations\u201d with Fang Fang on a \u201chandful of occasions,\u201d with their last physical encounter occurring in March 2015. Swalwell, meanwhile, joined Congress in 2013.
\nIn the second interview, Swalwell described multiple encounters, including one in which Fang Fang arrived at his apartment banging on his door and the two subsequently \u201chooked up\u201d after Swalwell had taken a powerful sleep medication. The former congressman indicated he had little recollection of the event. The records indicated they \u201cprobably\u201d occurred before Swalwell was elected to Congress.
\nCUBA BUILT COVERT NETWORK INSIDE AMERICA THROUGH SPIES, ACTIVISTS AND UNIVERSITIES, STATE DEPT ALLEGES<\/p>\n
\u201cFANG left after a couple hours. Swalwell barely remembers the event because he had taken Ambien prior to FANG arriving,\u201d stated an interview summary from the FBI.
\nSwalwell told investigators he considered his physical relationship with Fang Fang \u201ccasual,\u201d while maintaining that the two \u201cnever dated\u201d and \u201cnever had a romantic relationship.\u201d He also told agents he believed Fang \u201cmay have wanted a more romantic relationship,\u201d according to the 2015 interview summary.
\n\u201cSwalwell had a drink with Fang a couple weeks after they first met in 2012. He had physical relations with Fang on a handful of occasions, but never dated her or had a romantic relationship. March 2015 was the last time Swalwell had physical relations with Fang,\u201d the documents say. \u201cSwalwell considered their physical relationship to be casual, but believed that Fang may have wanted a more romantic relationship.\u201d
\nIRAN MINES US TROOPS\u2019 SOCIAL MEDIA AS MILITARY CONSIDERS SEIZING CELLPHONES
\nThe documents, which were first reported on by Just the News, were declassified as part of the administration\u2019s broader efforts to combat foreign threats to U.S. elections and other political systems. They provide a much more detailed look at Swalwell and Fang Fang\u2019s relationship, which had remained publicly murky for years as Swalwell refused to say several times whether their interactions were sexual or romantic, and described the allegations as GOP attacks.<\/p>\n
Beyond the revelations about Swalwell\u2019s intimate relationship with Fang Fang, the records show the FBI said financial records indicated Fang Fang used conduits to conceal herself as a prohibited foreign-national source and orchestrated conduit contributions to Swalwell\u2019s campaign at least twice in 2013 and at least twice more in 2014.
\nThey also show Fang Fang referred prospective interns to Swalwell\u2019s political operation. During his 2016 FBI interview, Swalwell told agents he viewed anyone Fang Fang put forward for an internship as coming through the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, or APAPA, an organization with which Fang was reportedly connected.
\nSCOPE OF CCP-BACKED CHINESE EXCHANGE PROGRAM INSIDE AMERICAN SCHOOLS UNCOVERED IN SWEEPING REPORT
\nThe internship referrals were one component of the FBI\u2019s broader inquiry. An investigative memo said agents were examining allegations that Fang Fang facilitated access to Swalwell and internships in his congressional office in exchange for campaign contributions. However, the FBI ultimately said it did not find evidence that Swalwell committed federal corruption violations or participated in a quid-pro-quo scheme.\u00a0
\nSwalwell was removed as a subject of the investigation in 2017, but the bureau did indicate it found evidence that Fang Fang herself violated federal election laws involving foreign-national and conduit contributions.<\/p>\n
The declassified files revealed that the FBI had previously tried to cultivate Fang Fang as a confidential source under the codename \u201cRUSTY THUMBS,\u201d as agents suspected she had ties to China\u2019s Ministry of State Security (MSS), including her parents who were reportedly considered known Chinese intelligence officers.
\nFang also repeatedly encouraged Swalwell to visit China, according to the records. During his 2016 FBI interview, Swalwell told agents that Fang \u201cwould generally mention that SWALWELL should go to CHINA,\u201d and said she extended a China invitation to someone in his orbit at a November 2014 election-night party.
\nBy the time of that 2016 interview, Swalwell told agents he had cut off contact with Fang Fang after first meeting with the FBI about the matter. Agents had given him a defensive briefing in late April 2015 about foreign-intelligence targeting and specifically discussed Fang Fang and her connections.
\nFox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and his attorneys for comment but did not immediately receive a response.<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on https:\/\/www.foxnews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"