The news just keeps getting worse for now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell of California amid a widening probe into allegations of widespread sexual assault.
FBI agents confronted Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday and seized several electronic devices, including his cellphone, as part of a federal criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, according to a Daily Mail report citing sources familiar with the matter.
Agents reportedly approached Swalwell after he landed in San Francisco and presented him with a court-authorized search warrant before taking possession of the devices.
The following day, FBI agents executed additional search warrants at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., residence, where they reportedly seized other potential evidence.
Details about the additional material taken from the property were not immediately disclosed.
According to the report, Swalwell began Saturday in Washington, where he continues to maintain a residence with his wife and three children.
Swalwell later traveled from Washington to his home state of California, where federal agents were reportedly waiting when he arrived at San Francisco International Airport.
Sources cited by the Daily Mail said Swalwell cooperated with agents as they executed the search warrant and seized his electronic devices.
The following day, federal investigators reportedly arrived at Swalwell’s Northeast Washington residence while neither he nor his wife, Brittany Watts, was home.
Swalwell, 45, has faced sexual misconduct allegations from at least four women. Among the accusers is a former staff member who has alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her on two occasions, in 2019 and 2024, when she says she was too intoxicated to consent.
Another woman has accused Swalwell of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018, while two other women have alleged that he sent them unsolicited explicit photographs.
The Justice Department opened a federal investigation into the allegations in April, according to the Daily Mail.
Swalwell has also reportedly faced investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Daily Mail’s report noted further.
Swalwell has strongly denied the sexual misconduct allegations. The controversy nevertheless derailed his campaign for California governor, prompting him to withdraw from a race in which he had previously been a leading contender.
He subsequently resigned from Congress.
Swalwell has largely remained out of the public spotlight since his resignation.
His name resurfaced Monday with the release of newly declassified records concerning his past interactions with Christine Fang, the suspected Chinese intelligence operative commonly known as “Fang Fang.”
According to the newly released documents, Swalwell told FBI investigators that he had “occasionally hooked up” with Fang, the outlet said.
Fang, a Chinese national, spent years developing relationships with emerging political figures in California, including Swalwell.
She reportedly helped bundle campaign contributions for his 2014 re-election effort and assisted in placing an intern in his congressional office, previous reports have noted.
Swalwell has not been accused by law enforcement of criminal wrongdoing in connection with his interactions with Fang.
Separately, the former congressman has denied the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him. While rejecting the accusations, Swalwell has acknowledged making what he described as “mistakes in judgment” and apologized to his wife.
The allegations contributed to the collapse of his political career and generated calls for additional investigations from lawmakers in both parties.
Questions have also emerged about the status of Swalwell’s nine-year marriage to Watts.
Photos published by the Daily Mail in May showed Watts leaving the couple’s Washington residence without a wedding ring while Swalwell remained out of public view.
“Eric has been accused of horrible things. How do you live with that?” said a friend of the family to the Daily Mail at the time.
The allegations against Swalwell initially surfaced through claims made by a former staff member who accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was too intoxicated to consent.
The woman told CNN that the alleged incident occurred in New York City in April 2024 following a night of heavy drinking.
According to her account, she later awoke in Swalwell’s hotel bed and alleged that he was having sex with her without her consent.
