In a stunning turn of events back in April, Eric Swalwell, a Democratic Representative from California, declared his intention to resign from Congress amid serious allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities have reportedly conducted a raid on the home of Eric Swalwell, the former U.S. Representative, as part of an ongoing probe into alleged sexual assault claims. Officials allegedly confiscated various electronic devices during this operation.
According to a CNN report, FBI agents intercepted and seized Swalwell’s electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, August 15. Subsequently, agents executed a raid at his Washington, D.C. residence the following day, Sunday, August 16.
In April, Swalwell publicly announced he would step down from his Congressional position following a wave of allegations concerning sexual misconduct and assault.
As originally unveiled by the San Francisco Chronicle and later expounded by CNN, allegations surfaced that Swalwell had sexually assaulted a woman on two separate occasions, including at a time when she was under his employment. Furthermore, CNN disclosed that three additional women accused Swalwell of various inappropriate behaviors, such as sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photographs.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell previously said on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”
The House Ethics Committee had begun an investigation into whether Swalwell engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee working under his supervision, the panel announced in April. Other lawmakers were pushing for a quick vote to expel him from Congress.
Swalwell, an Iowa native, was elected in 2012 and represented a House district east of San Francisco. He launched a presidential run in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters.
Swalwell was one of Donald Trump’s top Democratic antagonists in Congress, serving as a prominent member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees during the president’s first term and as one of several Democratic prosecutors for Trump’s second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
He was removed from the intel committee by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 based on his contact with a suspected Chinese spy, Christine Fang.
Fang was reported to have come into contact with Swalwell’s campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012 and participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign.
Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her. He was not accused of wrongdoing and a House Ethics Committee investigation that was opened in 2021 closed two years later without any action.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.