Federal agents seized former Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell's electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, then searched his Washington, D.C. home the following day, a sharp escalation in a sexual misconduct investigation that has already ended his political career.
The FBI intercepted Swalwell at the airport and took at least one cell phone, Fox News Digital reported, citing two sources familiar with the incident. A separate source confirmed agents searched his D.C. residence on Sunday. Swalwell was not arrested or detained.
The moves mark the most aggressive law enforcement action yet against the former California congressman, who resigned his seat in April after at least five women, including a former staffer, accused him of sexual misconduct or rape. Before he stepped down, Swalwell faced the threat of expulsion from Congress and abandoned his bid for California governor.
Days before the device seizure, the White House's Government Transparency Task Force released declassified FBI records tied to a separate but overlapping chapter of Swalwell's troubles: his relationship with Christine "Fang Fang" Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Fang's parents were reportedly considered known Chinese intelligence officers, and she had suspected ties to China's Ministry of State Security.
Those records show Swalwell told FBI agents he had "physical relations" with Fang on a handful of occasions, with their last sexual encounter occurring in March 2015. The FBI first interviewed Swalwell about the relationship in May 2015, then again in March 2016.
The declassified documents landed on Monday. By Saturday night, the FBI was taking Swalwell's phone at the airport. Whether the two events are directly connected remains unclear, but the compressed timeline speaks for itself.
Swalwell spent 13 years in Congress and built a national media profile as a frequent cable news presence, a Democrat who rarely missed a camera. That profile collapsed under the weight of the sexual misconduct allegations, which surfaced publicly at a Beverly Hills news conference on April 14, 2026. Lonna Drewes, one of the accusers who identified herself publicly, appeared at that event to detail the allegations.
The Department of Justice opened its own investigation into Swalwell over the sexual assault allegations. The current status of that probe has not been publicly disclosed.
Swalwell, in a written statement at the time of his resignation, acknowledged fault in measured terms:
"I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."
He did not specify which allegations he considered false or what "mistakes" he was taking responsibility for. The statement tried to split the difference, deny the worst charges while conceding enough to look contrite. The FBI's actions over the weekend suggest investigators are not satisfied with that kind of ambiguity.
Much remains unknown. Fox News Digital contacted Swalwell's attorney but did not report receiving a response. The full scope of what agents sought or recovered during the D.C. home search has not been disclosed. And the identities of the other accusers beyond Drewes have not been made public, consistent with standard practice, as the Associated Press typically does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward.
Nor is it clear what specific evidence investigators believe Swalwell's devices may contain, or how the sexual misconduct probe intersects with the older counterintelligence concerns surrounding Fang. The declassified records confirmed Swalwell's own admissions about the relationship. Whether that history factors into the current investigation, or simply adds to the portrait of a congressman whose judgment failed him repeatedly, remains an open question.
Swalwell rose to prominence lecturing the country about accountability, foreign influence, and the rule of law. Now the FBI is searching his home and seizing his phone. Accountability, it turns out, is less comfortable when it arrives at your door.
