Trump Administration Orders FBI to Revisit Decade-Old Investigation of Democratic Congressman

The effort to gather files on Representative Eric Swalwell has alarmed law enforcement officials who fear the material could be used to smear the lawmaker.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 9:54pm

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Trump administration officials have ordered FBI agents to gather documents about a decade-old investigation into Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and his ties to a suspected Chinese spy, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation dates from more than a decade ago, when FBI counterintelligence agents looked into a Chinese woman, Christine Fang, who assisted Swalwell with fundraising. The FBI concluded the investigation without bringing any criminal charges, but the Trump administration is now seeking to revisit the case.

Why it matters

The effort to dig up the old investigative files on Swalwell, a prominent critic of President Trump, has alarmed law enforcement officials who fear the material could be released publicly to smear the lawmaker. Swalwell is currently running for governor of California, and the Trump administration's actions are seen as a political attack on a political opponent.

The details

Scores of FBI agents and other personnel in California were instructed to gather the documents on Swalwell and Fang, with the goal of working through the weekend to finish a review by early next week. Supervisors advised the agents to lightly redact the records to obscure some sensitive information and told them the files would be shared with senior administration officials in Washington. Some law enforcement personnel have expressed concern at what would remain unredacted and whether senior officials would misuse the material to score political points, perhaps by publicly releasing it.

  • The investigation into Swalwell and Fang dates back more than a decade.
  • Fang left the United States for China in 2015, possibly because she had learned about the counterintelligence investigation into whether she was a spy.
  • In 2023, the House Ethics Committee ended a two-year investigation into the relationship between Swalwell and Fang without taking any further action.

The players

Eric Swalwell

A Democratic Congressman who is now running for governor of California. He has been a vocal critic of President Trump and his administration.

Christine Fang

Also known as Fang Fang, a Chinese woman who assisted Swalwell with fundraising and was the subject of a decade-old FBI counterintelligence investigation.

Kash Patel

The FBI's director, who yelled at Swalwell during a congressional hearing in September.

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What they’re saying

“We now know the outrageous ends the White House will go to target political opponents. The reason Trump is so desperately trying to stop me is not because I'm running for governor of California, but because now I'm the favorite.”

— Eric Swalwell, Congressman

“Donald Trump and Kash Patel do not get to pick the next governor.”

— Eric Swalwell, Congressman

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow the release of the investigative files on Swalwell.

The takeaway

This case highlights the Trump administration's efforts to use government resources to target political opponents, raising concerns about the politicization of law enforcement and the potential misuse of sensitive information for partisan gain.