Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., traveled to Doha at least six times between 2020 and 2024 on trips backed by Qatar-linked sponsors, House filings show, a pattern of foreign-funded travel that raises fresh questions about the gubernatorial candidate's judgment and loyalties, Fox News Digital reported after reviewing congressional disclosures.
The trips were sponsored by either the Embassy of Qatar or the U.S.-Qatar Business Council. Swalwell kept returning to the Gulf emirate even after drawing criticism for an $84,000 trip in 2021 that included a camel excursion along the Persian Gulf and a stay reportedly near the Four Seasons in Doha. Filings from the House of Representatives clerk document additional trips in 2020, twice in 2022, once in 2023, and once in 2024.
Swalwell's office did not respond to requests for comment. The congressman, who now wants to be governor of the nation's most populous state, has built a record of foreign entanglements that voters deserve to weigh, from Qatar to China and back again.
The most publicized journey came in 2021, when Business Insider published a photo of a shirtless Swalwell alongside now-Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and their spouses during the camel excursion near the Persian Gulf. At the time, Swalwell sat on the House Intelligence Committee and Gallego on the House Armed Services Committee. Business Insider called such privately funded travel an "ethical gray area" that can give powerful interests a channel to influence lawmakers.
The U.S.-Qatar Business Council later told the New York Post it did not pay for the camel ride itself, covering only "costs directly associated with travel and the working agenda of the trip." The trip's publicly shared agenda listed meetings about U.S.-Qatar business opportunities, hospitality industry discussions, a meeting with the Qatari ambassador, and a briefing on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Business Insider reported the five lawmakers on that trip received approval from the House Ethics Committee, as required. But the outlet noted the disclosure documents did not indicate when they were posted, and it appeared Swalwell's filing may have missed the proper reporting deadline.
None of this stopped Swalwell from booking three more Qatar-sponsored trips over the next three years.
Qatar has faced years of scrutiny over its alleged ties to Hamas. In 2025, Qatar threatened to "retaliate" against Israel after Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas leaders in the country's capital. Among those targeted were Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, who was responsible for Hamas finances and played a key role in the terrorist organization's West Bank operations.
Ali Al-Ansari, media attaché at the Embassy of Qatar in the United States, defended the congressional visits as "a routine and longstanding practice across administrations and parties." He said the exchanges aim to "strengthen bilateral ties, foster mutual understanding, and provide opportunities for policymakers to engage directly with counterparts in the region."
"Such visits typically include meetings, briefings, and cultural activities that reflect the importance of the U.S.-Qatar relationship. All travel is conducted in full compliance with applicable U.S. laws and disclosure requirements, and is transparently reported."
Routine or not, six trips in five years to a single Gulf emirate, paid for by that emirate's government or its business lobby, is a pattern, not a coincidence. And the man accepting those trips wants to lead California.
Qatar is not the only foreign connection dogging Swalwell. In January, Fox News Digital reported on a previously unreported 2013 Facebook post by China's San Francisco consulate showing then-freshman Rep. Swalwell during a meeting with Song Ru'an, a senior CCP diplomat. The caption touted "great potential" for U.S.-China cooperation. That meeting occurred during the same period when Swalwell was allegedly targeted by Chinese espionage efforts through his relationship with Christine "Fang Fang" Fang, a Chinese national suspected of being a Ministry of State Security operative.
Fang worked closely with Swalwell's campaign, fundraising and directing interns to his office. The pair appeared together in photos at public outings before Swalwell entered Congress. As we previously reported, the unearthed 2013 photo raised alarm bells about the depth of Swalwell's foreign contacts.
U.S. intelligence officials grew so concerned about Fang's activities that they alerted Swalwell and congressional leadership in 2015. Then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was briefed; then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy indicated he was not briefed until later. Swalwell cut ties with Fang upon receiving the defensive briefing, sources told Axios.
Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing. A multiyear congressional ethics report backed that assertion and took no further action. But McCarthy eventually removed Swalwell from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a decision that spoke louder than any ethics report.
Now, FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly wants to release old investigative files on Fang. The Washington Post reported that some FBI officials have even discussed sending agents to China to interview her.
Swalwell recently pushed back on the Fang Fang criticism. He told local outlet KRON4.com that the story was "nonsense." On the Sources Say podcast last week, he offered a more colorful dismissal:
"The air was cleared immediately by the FBI when there was even a suggestion of wrongdoing. I think Independent folks have said enough on this. And, you know for me, defamation is the highest form of flattery."
Flattery or not, the questions keep compounding. In February, Fox News Digital found that Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign continued receiving tens of thousands of dollars in donations from lawyer Keliang "Clay" Zhu, despite concerns over Zhu's anti-American efforts and his connection to a law firm with deep CCP ties. The broader picture of Swalwell's accumulating controversies has become a defining feature of his gubernatorial bid.
Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and one of Swalwell's top GOP rivals in the governor's race, did not mince words about the combined weight of these foreign connections:
"It's corrupt. You shouldn't be bought by foreign governments. We are sick of all these corrupt career politicians being bribed by foreign governments. They're supposed to be representing us, not other countries."
Foreign travel and foreign donors are not Swalwell's only ethics problems. He established an artificial intelligence start-up company with his congressional chief of staff and later hired the company to do work for his campaign. NOTUS reported that Swalwell and his chief of staff were pitching their product to Democratic lawmakers, aides, and staff. The report also raised questions about investments the company received from Democratic campaigns, including those of Gallego and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Even Swalwell's California residency became an issue after he reportedly listed his lawyer's address on paperwork to run for governor. He defended the choice by citing death threats. A pattern of questions about Swalwell's associations and transparency has followed him from Washington to the campaign trail.
Six Qatar-funded trips. Tens of thousands in donations linked to CCP-connected entities. A suspected Chinese intelligence operative who fundraised for his campaign. An AI company pitched to colleagues and bankrolled by fellow Democrats. A residency question. And through all of it, a congressman who insists every concern is "nonsense" or "flattery."
California voters will decide whether that record qualifies a man to lead the world's fifth-largest economy. The rest of us can observe that when a politician's foreign travel card is thicker than his policy platform, the problem isn't the questions, it's the answers he refuses to give.
