Kash Patel's push against Democratic lawmaker raises concerns within FBI

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

March 28, 2026 at 11:57 a.m. EDT


FBI Director Kash Patel is pressing to release a decade-old investigative file involving Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, recently dispatching agents in the Bureau’s San Francisco office to quickly redact the files before they are released publicly despite no evidence of wrongdoing by Swalwell, according to three people familiar with the effort.

The potential release is part of the Trump administration’s aggressive push to investigate Swalwell, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, according to the people familiar with the effort. It is highly unusual for the FBI to release case files tied to a probe that did not result in criminal charges.

As FBI director, Patel has focused on trying to bring a criminal case against the outspoken Democrat, reassigning multiple agents in San Francisco to work on the matter, the current and former officials said. FBI leaders have even discussed sending agents to China to talk to the suspected intelligence operative, believing she could have damaging information about Swalwell, according to two of the people familiar with the investigation. The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation that has not been made public.

The Chinese woman at issue is Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, who reportedly courted Swalwell and other California politicians in the United States from 2011 to 2015. She helped with fundraising for Swalwell’s 2014 reelection campaign and even helped place an intern in his congressional office. When federal agents conveyed their concerns about Fang to Swalwell around 2015, he reportedly cut off ties with her and said he helped investigators. Swalwell was not accused of any wrongdoing when the FBI investigated his relationship with Fang a decade ago. In 2023, the Republican-led House Ethics Committee closed a two-year investigation into the congressman, deciding to “take no further action.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/28/fbi-patel-eric-swalwell/

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No paywall (gift)

Since Keystone Kash's email was hacked, time for his own distraction.

[vapor2]

1. The prick needs to resign for using our money for the Olympic beer bash

[mahina]

2. Eric Swallwell is going to be an outstanding governor and then

An outstanding president.

This sad little toady is a broken man who will have no effect on Ericʻs destiny.

[ChicagoTeamster]

3. Go Ahead, and while you're at it release the files on all of the Trump family's connections to Russian operatives

And Michaels Flynn's Russia contacts and records of cash deposits from Kremlin linked accounts, none of which he reported as required by SAEDA regulation which was why he was canned from his role as DIA director

And Steve Bannon, Boris Epshteyn, and Roger Stone had known Russia connections over the years as well. Bannon and Stone were also implicated in Bolsonaro's attempted coup in Brazil.

Oh, and what about the rest of the Epstein files they promised to release?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. They want to give the suspected Chinese spy a visa! Wow, talk about "weaponization"

Despite that, FBI leaders have recently suggested in internal discussions that the government could try to arrange for Fang to get a U.S. visa in exchange for speaking with FBI agents about the Democrat, according to the three people with knowledge of Patel’s efforts. It would be highly unorthodox to grant a visa to a person suspected of being an intelligence agent for a foreign superpower.

"Highly unorthodox"? Yeah, how about "treasonous".

Since this is Bezos's Washington Post, who can't say a plain word against the Trump regime, it's "the bid to pursue a political foe of the president", rather than "weaponization", or "illegal use of a government bureau to harass a political opponent" (even the use of "foe" implies Swalwell is an "enemy", rather than a mainstream politician). And they report the alarms being that it "could compromise law enforcement sources and investigatory methods, making it harder for the FBI to gain trust with potential witnesses", rather than be an illegal use of government power to manufacture slurs and innuendo against someone who cooperated fully with the FBI.

Patel is dubbed a "conservative firebrand", as opposed to a conspiracy theorist and Trump bootlicker who'd do anything to take revenge on the people who took part in his impeachments.

[jfz9580m]

6. I was shocked at just how insipid their writing is now.nt

[paleotn]

5. Another complete waste of time by complete morons.

Hang it up, Jeebs. It’s going nowhere

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. WaPo; NYT

WP Exclusive

Kash Patel's push against Democratic lawmaker raises concerns within FBI

The FBI director seeks to post documents on Rep. Eric Swalwell despite no public evidence of wrongdoing, officials said.

March 28, 2026 at 11:57 a.m. EDT


Director Kash Patel after a news conference in October in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

By Perry Stein

FBI Director Kash Patel is pressing to release a decade-old investigative file involving Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, recently dispatching agents in the bureau's San Francisco office to quickly redact the files before they are released publicly despite no evidence of wrongdoing by Swalwell, according to three people familiar with the effort.

{snip}

https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/perry-stein/

I thought this might already have been posted, but I can't find it.

Reminder, Joe.My.God.

https://www.joemygod.com/2026/03/fbi-revives-2015-spy-investigation-into-swalwell/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/politics/trump-fbi-patel-eric-swalwell.html?unlocked_article_code1.WlA.HADO.k8F4722xBQKT

Trump administration officials have ordered F.B.I. agents to gather documents about a decade-old investigation into a Democratic congressman and his ties to a suspected Chinese spy, according to people familiar with the matter. The effort has alarmed law enforcement officials who said they feared the material could be released publicly to smear the lawmaker, Representative Eric Swalwell, a prominent critic of President Trump who is now running for governor of California.

The investigation dates from more than a decade ago, when F.B.I. counterintelligence agents looked into a Chinese woman, Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, who assisted Mr. Swalwell with fund-raising. The F.B.I. concluded the investigation, and the DOJ did not bring any criminal charges. In recent days, scores of F.B.I. agents and other personnel in California were instructed to gather the documents on Mr. Swalwell and Ms. Fang, with the goal of working through the weekend to finish a review by early next week.

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Kash Patel's push against Democratic lawmaker raises concerns within FBI

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/28/fbi-patel-eric-swalwell/

FBI leaders have recently suggested in internal discussions that the government could try to arrange for Fang to get a U.S. visa in exchange for speaking with FBI agents about the Democrat, according to the three people with knowledge of Patel's efforts. It would be highly unorthodox to grant a visa to a person suspected of being an intelligence agent for a foreign superpower.

The lengths that Patel's circle is going to in the bid to pursue a political foe of the president has raised alarms within the bureau, where some officials fear that releasing the files -- even with redactions -- could compromise law enforcement sources and investigatory methods, making it harder for the FBI to gain trust with potential witnesses.

They also said they feared the repercussions of sending agents to the territory of an adversarial nation to dig up information on a sitting congressman. Such an interview, legal experts said, would be impossible without Chinese interference, and Fang would be considered an unreliable witness.