For years, Republicans have alleged that Rep. Eric Swalwell (DCA) did something illegal when he briefly met someone the U.S. government believed to be a Chinese spy. When the FBI approached Swalwell, in 2012, with the information, he immediately ended the relationship and offered to help with the FBI.
But on Fox News, hosts like Tucker Carlson were relentless in their attacks. That turned into online DC drama when Swalwell posted text message conversations between the two. Since then, Swalwell has become a kind of boogeyman for the right, leading to threats against him and his family.
Even Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claimed on the House floor, “Let me say that again. A member of Congress who receives classified briefings was sleeping with the enemy.”
Republicans went so far as to require that he be removed from the House Intelligence Committee due to the short-lived 2012 relationship.
On Tuesday, the Ethics Committee said that after two years, they hadn’t found any wrongdoing on the part of Swalwell.
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“Nearly ten years ago, I assisted the FBI in their counterintelligence investigation of a campaign volunteer. The case and my assistance were briefed to Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, and two years later, Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, re-appointed me to the House Intelligence Committee. Neither Speaker questioned my actions nor politicized my cooperation. Despite the FBI repeatedly saying I was nothing but helpful and never accused of wrongdoing, this complaint was filed by a House Republican. … If the intent in bringing this complaint and leveling false smears was to silence me that is not going to happen. I will continue to be a voice on behalf of my constituents and a passionate defender of democracy.”
See the full statement from Swalwell below:
\u201cFor years MAGA GOP has falsely smeared me to silence me. Today the Bipartisan Ethics Committee closed its investigation into a volunteer on our campaign w/o finding wrongdoing. My statement:\u201d— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell)
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