Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) made it clear that he never slept with a Chinese spy like Rep. Boebert claimed, and he has also never had the FBI raid his house, like Boebert’s campaign manager.
Boebert said on the House floor during the Paul Gosar censure debate, “and then the cherry on top, my colleague and three-month presidential candidate from California who is on the intelligence committee slept with Fang Fang, a Chinese spy. “
Rep. Swalwell responded:
Weird. If I had done anything wrong the FBI would have raided my house. They didn’t (and went as far to issue a statement saying I did nothing wrong). BUT yesterday they did raid the home of @laurenboebert’s campaign manager. They’re always projecting. https://t.co/FLCkPghbsr
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— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 17, 2021
Republicans have been obsessed with the fictional Eric Swalwell China story for months. Swalwell was contacted by a Chinese spy, so he went to the FBI and cooperated with the investigation, which is what members of Congress/elected officials are supposed to do.
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It is a difficult concept for Republicans to wrap their heads around, but when a foreign government contacts a US elected official and tries to corrupt an election or illegally influence policy, the official has a duty to report the contact.
The only reason why Rep. Boebert isn’t facing an ethics investigation and being disciplined for her comments is that she didn’t address anyone directly on the House floor or use any names.
Rep. Swalwell is right. The FBI didn’t raid his house because he did nothing wrong. However, one should not be surprised if there are more law enforcement door knocks in the future for people who are close to Lauren Boebert.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
