Federal agents seized former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s electronic devices at the San Francisco airport and the next day raided his home in Washington as part of a sex crime investigation, according to reports.
FBI agents confronted the California Democrat with a search warrant when he landed Saturday at San Francisco Airport. They seized his cellphone.
The Justice Department has been investigating sexual assault allegations against Mr. Swalwell since April.
That’s when he resigned from Congress and quit his run for California governor in April after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct and assault, including rape.
Mr. Swalwell, a fierce critic of President Trump, was a prominent player in the Democratic Party before the sexual misconduct allegations ended his political career.
At least four women accused him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. A former staffer accused him of two separate nonconsensual sexual encounters when she was intoxicated. Three other women came forward to CNN detailing unwanted touching and other sexual advances such as unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.
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Mr. Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign as high-profile political allies withdrew their support. Facing a House Ethics Committee probe and threats of an expulsion vote, he quit Congress the following day. He said he did not want to be a distraction to his constituents while he denied the sexual assault allegation.
The Department of Justice launched its investigation into him in April, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department later opened criminal investigations into the former representative.
He has consistently denied all the allegations of wrongdoing.
Newly declassified FBI records revealed that Mr. Swalwell acknowledged to investigators in 2015 that he had a physical relationship with Christine Fang, known as “Fang Fang,” a suspected Chinese intelligence operative.
The FBI opened a counterintelligence probe into Ms. Fang’s activities, which included donor networking and helping place an intern in Mr. Swalwell’s congressional office. Investigators ultimately concluded there was no evidence of a quid pro quo exchange or statutory wrongdoing by Mr. Swalwell.
Once alerted by the FBI to their concerns regarding Ms. Fang in 2015, Mr. Swalwell said he severed contact with her and fully cooperated with the probe. She subsequently left the U.S. and was barred from returning.
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