The House Ethics Committee has ended its two-year investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., over allegations that he had ties to an alleged Chinese intelligence agent.
in a letter to Swalwell Dated Monday, the committee said it will take no further action in the investigation that began in April 2021 into «allegations raised in the complaint that I may have violated house rules, laws or other standards of conduct.» in connection with his interactions with Ms. Christine Fang”, the alleged Chinese spy.
“The Committee has previously reviewed allegations of undue influence by foreign agents and, in doing so, advised that members should be aware of the potential for foreign governments to attempt to gain undue influence through gifts and other interactions,” the letter said. «We encourage you to contact the Home Security Office for guidance on steps you can take to prevent or address such attempts.»
The investigation into Swalwell came in response to allegations that Fang was involved in fundraising operations for his 2014 re-election campaign and helped place an intern at his office, Axios. reported.
in a statement Following the committee’s letter, Swalwell said he assisted the FBI nearly 10 years ago in its counterintelligence investigation of a campaign volunteer.
“The case and my attendance were reported to House Republican Speaker John Boehner, and two years later, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan reappointed me to the House Intelligence Committee,” he said. «None of the spokespersons questioned my actions or politicized my cooperation.»
Swalwell said that despite his cooperation with the FBI, which never charged him with misconduct, an unnamed House Republican filed a complaint against him.
«It’s time to move on,» he said. “The bipartisan House Ethics Committee had this case for over two years. They had the power of subpoena. They received responses from me in response to requests for information. Today, they are closing this matter and they did not find any crime.”
Swalwell became a target of House Republicans over the allegations. At the start of this year’s new Congress, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., barred Swalwell and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., from serving on the House Intelligence Committee. Swalwell was an impeachment manager during the second impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump, while Schiff was a lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial.