Todayâs Capitol Hill quiz: Should a guy who had to be warned off by the FBI that he was getting close to a woman he did not know was an alleged Chinese spy be a member of the House Intelligence Committee?
House speaker Nancy Pelosi thinks so, which is why she named Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California to the panel, according to The Hill.
But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy disagrees. On Friday, he shared some raised eyebrows on Twitter and vowed to push back against Swalwellâs appointment.
âPelosi just reappointed Eric Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee. Based on the briefing she and I received together, Swalwell should not be on the panel in charge of guarding our nationâs secrets. Next week, I will offer a resolution to remove him from the Intel Committee,â the California Republican tweeted on Friday.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz also weighed in on the appointment:
In December, reports emerged that Swalwell had been so close to a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy that he was given an FBI briefing to warn him away.
Some said at the time that Swalwell should not be on the Intelligence Committee:
Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, had been a prominent fundraiser for Swalwellâs 2014 congressional campaign and reportedly placed an intern in his office.
Fang had cultivated relationships with a number of other politicians, according to Axios, including two unnamed Midwestern mayors she allegedly had sexual relationships with.
In 2015, the FBI gave Swalwell whatâs known as a âdefensive briefingâ â alerting him to the fact that they believed Fang was a spy. Swalwell says he cut off contact, although several of his family members remained Facebook friends with Fang until after the story broke.
Pelosi and McCarthy were briefed by the FBI about the issue, at McCarthyâs request, according to NPR.
McCarthy later said the briefing âonly raised more questions. The one thing that was fundamentally answered: He should not be on Intel.â
Former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, in a December interview, put the issue succinctly in a hypothetical question he would ask Pelosi concerning Swalwellâs membership at the time on the House Intelligence Committee.
âThere are 230 Democrats, and you mean to tell me she cannot find a single one that didnât date a Chinese spy?â Gowdy said.
Gowdy said he is concerned that Swalwell has never been open about the extent of his relationship with Fang.
âI donât think Swalwell has denied having a relationship ,â Gowdy said. âHe said it was classified. Iâll be damned if I know what that means: All youâve got to say is, âI didnât sleep with her,â Eric. Thatâs all you got to say.â
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
