Federal agents searched the Washington, DC home of former US Representative Eric Swalwell as part of an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, according to US media. The FBI also seized his electronic devices at San Francisco airport over the weekend, multiple reports said Thursday. The FBI declined to comment when contacted by Al Jazeera.
The search comes months after Swalwell, once seen as a rising Democratic star and a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, resigned from Congress in April. A woman publicly accused Swalwell of sexual assault during his tenure, while four others said he engaged in other forms of sexual misconduct.
Swalwell later dropped out of the California governor's race, where he had been considered a top contender.
Beyond the sexual assault allegations, Swalwell has also faced scrutiny over his past relationship with a woman named Christine Fang, whom US authorities believe to be a Chinese spy. He was removed from the House Intelligence Committee in 2023 over concerns about that relationship, which Swalwell said he ended after federal agents warned him. A House Ethics Committee investigation ultimately closed without action.
Swalwell rose to prominence during Trump's first term, serving as a Democratic prosecutor in Trump's impeachment trials related to his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot.
This week, the White House released FBI documents related to Swalwell's relationship with Fang. His lawyer said the release was intended to "punish a vocal critic of the current administration," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Trump has repeatedly said he would retaliate against his political opponents. Several have been targeted by the Justice Department, most notably former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted over social media posts that federal prosecutors called a direct threat of violence against the president.
The latest FBI search comes as election officials continue counting ballots in a closely contested special election to replace Swalwell in Congress. As of Thursday, progressive candidate Aisha Wahab led fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez by about 300 votes, with Hernandez seeing a surge of last-minute spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
