Staff Reports
Eric Swalwell, a California congressman, denied any wrongdoing Wednesday after it was reported that he had ties to Christine Fang, a Chinese spy.
In response to the allegations, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he would remove Swalwell from the Committee on Intelligence. He had been linked to Fang, who reportedly worked for the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) State Security Ministry. According to reports, she raised money for the 2014 reelection campaign of the congressman.
On the "The View," co-host Griffin questioned Swalwell about McCarthy's statement about him not serving on any committee.
"The representative said that he was not aware of the connection between Fang and him until the FBI informed him. He maintained that he did everything in his power to help the agency. He also noted that House Speaker John Boehner was briefed about the allegations, and he was not removed from the committee."
"During the interview, Swalwell noted that Donald Trump, who was the president at the time, would have embarrassed him if he had known about the allegations. He also said that the allegations were politically motivated. According to a fact-check conducted by Glenn Kessler, McCarthy received four Pinocchios for his statements about the allegations."
During a press briefing, McCarthy criticized the FBI's briefing regarding Swalwell's position on the committee. He also accused Adam Schiff, the House's top Democrat, of lying about the so-called "Steele Dossier." The document, which was compiled by Christopher Christopher, a former MI6 agent, accused Trump's campaign of working with Russia.
When asked about the allegations against Swalwell, McCarthy noted that he had not asked the questions about the congressman's background before he was given a security clearance. He also said that he should have asked the FBI about his security concerns before he was appointed to the committee. According to McCarthy, the FBI informed the committee's leadership that Swalwell had a security issue before he was confirmed to the panel.
According to Kessler, there is no evidence supporting the allegations against Swalwell. He cited an article from 2000 by Axios, which revealed that the two were linked to Fang, as well as the fact that the FBI informed members of the House about her identity. He noted that after the agency informed him about her, Swalwell immediately cut his ties with her.
According to the Washington Post, Fang fled the US in 2015. She was under investigation by the FBI for her ties with the Chinese Communist Party. It's not clear if she took classified information with her.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Daily Caller.
