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Representative Eric Swalwell was one of many politicians involved in a massive Chinese spy operation and even after being made aware of the foreign interference he suffered firsthand, he publicly focused on Russia for the Trump presidency.
Axios reported that a Chinese national named Fang Fang or Christine Fang has targeted emerging local politicians including Swalwell, D-Calif.
Current and former intelligence officials told the outlet that Fang used campaign fundraising, networking, rallies and dating with at least two mayors in the Midwest to draw closer to political power.
Fang was reportedly involved in raising funds for Swalwell’s re-election campaign in 2014, although she did not donate and there is no evidence of illegal contributions.
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According to Axios, investigators became so alarmed by Fang’s behavior and activities that they alerted Swalwell in 2015 to their concerns and gave him a “defensive briefing.” Swalwell then cut all ties with Fang and was not charged with any wrongdoing, according to an official who spoke to the outlet.
Fang left the country in mid-2015.
“Representative Swalwell long ago provided information about this person – whom he met over eight years ago, and whom he has not seen for nearly six years – to the FBI,” Swalwell’s office told Axios in a statement. “To protect information that might be classified, it will not participate in your story.
His office provided no further comment to Fox News.
Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Discusses family separation at the border during a joint hearing of the House Committee on Judiciary and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform considering report of Inspector General investigating FBI Clinton emails on Capitol Hill Tuesday, June 19, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)
The former 2020 presidential candidate had become best known in recent years for his outspokenness about the Russia investigation. He has repeatedly insisted that the Russians colluded with the Trump campaign in the 2016 election, which special counsel Robert Mueller ultimately put to bed.
However, in an interview with The Hill in 2018, long after receiving a “defensive briefing” about the alleged Chinese spy who had infiltrated his office, Swalwell sounded the alarm over Russian involvement in US politics. after alleged Russian spy Maria Butina pleaded guilty. on one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government after his attempts to infiltrate NRA and GOP circles.
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“Maria Butina’s plea today, you know, represents that over the past two years our country has only experienced an influx of Russians into our political blood and this is something that did not exist until Donald Trump comes on the scene, ”Swalwell told The Times. “I mean, when you look at the 16 members of the Trump family, campaign officials and administration members who have had contact with the Russians throughout the campaign.”
He continued, “If you look at the Butina plea deal, you see an eagerness and willingness to work with a traditional American adversary and I think it’s dangerous to our national security. It represents bad judgment and, like Bob Mueller shows, he’s a crime too. And so that’s all the more reason that a new Congress, you know, can put a balance of power on these abuses that we continue to see from the Trump administration. “
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Swalwell is not the only Democratic lawmaker to have been swept aside by this so-called newly emerged Chinese espionage. Fang also volunteered for the 2014 House nomination for Representative Ro Khanna, D-California, and a 2013 fundraiser for Representative Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii. Khanna’s office said the congressman saw Fang at several rallies but had no further contact, while Gabbard’s office told the outlet that she “doesn’t remember having never met or spoken with. [Fang]nor any memory of her playing a major role in fundraising.
Fox News’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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