Swalwell accuses Trump, FBI chief of meddling in California governor’s race
Rep. Eric Swalwell accused President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday of “interfering in the California election” by reportedly seeking the highly unusual release of a decade-old investigative file focused on the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful.
A Washington Post story published Saturday said Patel ordered bureau staff to prepare the investigative file for public release despite the lack of evidence of any wrongdoing. The file focuses on Swalwell’s connection to Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy who helped him fundraise over a decade ago. The FBI probe and a 2021 House Ethics Committee investigation ended without any action against Swalwell, and the Post reported agents were concerned Patel was dredging up the investigation as a political hit.
Speaking at a news conference in front of the FBI’s San Francisco field office on Monday, Swalwell vowed “further appropriate legal action” at the Trump administration. A campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions about what form that might take.
“The president dreams of a servant in Sacramento, a western White House,” Swalwell told reporters. “But unfortunately for them, our campaign is winning. So with early voting starting in about a month, Trump and Patel are interfering in the California election.”
Swalwell, who has established himself as one of Trump’s loudest critics in Congress, seemed to embrace the controversy caused by the Post’s reporting as a way to stand out in a crowded governor’s race.
A campaign spokesperson sent reporters a link to the Post story shortly after it was released Saturday morning. Swalwell also made at least three appearances on MS Now and CNN over the weekend and Monday to discuss the Post story.
A California Democratic Party poll released last week showed Swalwell with support from 10% of likely voters, tied with former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire Tom Steyer. Two Republicans, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, lead the Democrats with 16% and 14%, respectively.
Swalwell has cast himself as the most aggressive counterweight to Trump in the Democratic field, citing his role as manager of the president’s second impeachment trial and his lawsuit against the president for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Paul Mitchell, a voter data analyst, said his read on polling of the race was that Democratic primary voters would choose the candidate who “can best affirm voters’ current feelings of anxiety and fear around what’s happening with the Trump administration.”
A February survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found that 56% of California Democrats believe “political extremism or threats to democracy” is the top issue facing the U.S. — phrases Democrats often use to describe the Trump administration. The same poll found 81% of Democrats approve of the job performance of outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has made defiance and mockery of Trump a central pillar of his political brand over the past year.
In that context, Mitchell said Patel’s reported actions could actually end up boosting Swalwell’s fortunes by getting him on primary voters’ radar. And Mitchell said it could also help neutralize criticism from Democratic rivals.
Steyer has taken aim at Swalwell for missing more votes than any other member of California’s Congressional delegation and over questions surrounding Swalwell’s California residency. Both criticisms have also been embraced by conservatives.
“Every MAGA attack in this governor’s race has been a MAGA attack against Swalwell,” Mitchell said. “And any attack on Eric Swalwell now becomes a MAGA attack.”
Separetely, Swalwell won an endorsement Sunday from the California Teacher’s Association; Steyer won an endorsement from the smaller California Federation of Teachers earlier this month.
