Federal agents armed with a search warrant confronted former California Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport and seized his electronic devices as part of a widening criminal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
Swalwell, 45, had started the day in Washington, D.C., before flying to California, where agents were waiting. They presented the former congressman with a search warrant and took his cellphone and other electronic devices, the Washington Examiner reported. Swalwell cooperated with investigators during the encounter. The following day, federal agents executed additional court-approved search warrants at his Washington, D.C., residence and seized other potential evidence. Neither Swalwell nor his wife, Brittany Watts, was at the home when agents arrived.
The searches mark a sharp escalation in a federal criminal investigation that stems from allegations by at least four women, and possibly five, who have publicly accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct. Among the accusers is a former staffer who alleges Swalwell raped her on two separate occasions, once in 2019 and again in 2024, when she says she was too intoxicated to consent.
Swalwell left Congress in April after the allegations were reported in detail. He had also been running for governor of California but suspended that campaign. His departure reshuffled the Democratic side of the governor's race: Xavier Becerra, who had been polling near the bottom of the field, catapulted to the top of the Democratic ticket. Becerra will face Republican Steve Hilton in the November general election.
At the time of his resignation, Swalwell acknowledged personal failings while disputing the most serious charges. Fox News reported his statement at the time:
"I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."
That statement left open which allegations Swalwell considers false and which "mistakes" he concedes. The federal probe now underway suggests investigators want to examine the contents of his personal devices to sort out the same question.
The FBI's move did not come in a vacuum. Both the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had already opened their own criminal investigations into Swalwell before federal agents showed up at the airport. AP News reported that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office confirmed it is investigating Swalwell after a former staffer alleged he raped her at a New York City hotel during a 2024 charity gala.
Bragg's office issued a public call for additional information. As National Review reported, Bragg urged:
"Survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division."
Two of the women who publicly discussed their allegations against Swalwell told CNN they had spoken with the FBI. That detail, combined with the court-approved warrants at two locations in two different jurisdictions over a single weekend, points to a federal investigation that has moved well past the preliminary stage.
The device seizure landed in the same week as another unwelcome development for Swalwell. On Monday, the White House declassified and released 97 pages of FBI records documenting Swalwell's past relationship with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. The declassified files confirmed that Swalwell admitted to the FBI he had a physical relationship with Fang in 2015, Breitbart reported.
Much of the information in the Fang files had already been reported publicly over the years, and Swalwell was never charged with a crime in connection with that investigation. But the timing of the release, days after federal agents took his phone, ensured both stories would be read side by side. The Washington Examiner had previously reported on efforts by Patel to get those files released.
Swalwell had once served as one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics in Congress. He sat on the House Intelligence Committee and built a national media profile around the Russia investigation and two impeachment proceedings. That profile made him a frequent presence on cable news, and makes the current federal scrutiny all the more conspicuous.
The scope of the allegations against Swalwell has grown steadily. At least four women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, and Just The News noted that his resignation and withdrawal from the governor's race came amid renewed scrutiny and new allegations from women. Fox News put the number of accusers at no fewer than five, including the former staffer who alleges rape. Swalwell has maintained his innocence on all counts.
No charges have been filed. The FBI declined to comment on the investigation. And several key questions remain unanswered: which specific federal agency or agencies obtained the warrants, what precisely investigators were looking for on Swalwell's devices, and whether he is formally classified as a target or a subject of the probe.
What is clear is that a former congressman who spent years positioning himself as a champion of accountability now faces overlapping criminal investigations in at least three jurisdictions, federal, Manhattan, and Los Angeles County, with his personal electronics in the hands of investigators.
Swalwell demanded accountability from others for years. The system he championed is now pointed squarely at him, and it brought a warrant.
