On August 15, FBI agents were waiting for former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport. When the disgraced California Democrat stepped off the plane, they confronted him and seized his Apple iPhone and MacBook Pro under a federal warrant.
The warrant cited a federal civil-rights statute used to prosecute public officials who abuse their government power.
Newly released surveillance footage shows Swalwell surrounded by agents at the airport. He appears calm — which is an interesting look for a man whose phone is being taken by the same bureau he spent years demanding be weaponized against Donald Trump.
The seizure is reportedly connected to an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women against Swalwell. One former staffer accused Swalwell of rape, alleging she was too intoxicated to consent. Another woman accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018. Two others alleged he sent unsolicited images of his genitals. Swalwell has denied all wrongdoing.
The specific statute cited in the warrant — a federal civil-rights law targeting abuse of government power — suggests investigators suspect Swalwell may have used his congressional office to silence his accusers. That's not a garden-variety misconduct probe. That's the FBI looking at whether a sitting member of Congress leveraged his position to cover up alleged sex crimes.
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April 2026 and simultaneously dropped his bid for governor of California. At the time, the exits looked sudden. Now they look strategic.
This is, of course, the same Eric Swalwell who carried on a relationship with Christine Fang — better known as Fang Fang — a Chinese intelligence operative who targeted up-and-coming California politicians. Swalwell was never charged in that matter. He was, however, allowed to remain on the House Intelligence Committee for years afterward, because apparently sleeping with a foreign spy is only a disqualifier if you have an R next to your name.
The civil-rights statute the FBI cited is not a technicality. It's a law designed for exactly one scenario: a government official using the power of their office to violate someone's rights. The feds don't dust that one off for parking tickets.
Swalwell spent four years on cable news accusing President Trump of being a Russian asset. He sat on the Intelligence Committee while compromised by a Chinese spy. He's now the subject of a federal probe into whether he used his office to silence women.
That's not a political career. That's a case file.