Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell visibly shifted on Tuesday when radio host Charlamagne tha God asked him about whether the “scandal” related to his ties to a suspected Chinese spy harmed his “credibility.”
Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee in January 2023, citing his interactions with the alleged spy, Christine Fang. When Charlamagne posed the question on “The Breakfast Club,” Swalwell responded that he hoped the House Ethics Committee clearing him of wrongdoing in May 2023 would be sufficient in protecting his reputation.
WATCH:
“Did the Chinese spy scandal hurt your credibility?” Charlamagne asked. “Or did Republicans just weaponize, like, a nothingburger, so to speak?”
“You know, the fact that the FBI and the House Ethics Committee said it was bullshit, like, I would hope that would be enough. But, like, in a disinformation society, like, I recognize that it’s everyone on the right’s favorite meme,” Swalwell answered. “My wife tells me all the time, ‘You know what? The second they’re not going after you, you’re not effective.’ And so I wear it as a badge of honor that these guys would want to lie about me all the time, because I think it means that I’m landing punches politically on them that sting.”
The congressman also floated a theory that Republicans view his political stances as disloyalty due to his identity.
“And frankly, I think a lot of Republicans look at me as like, ‘Oh, that’s a straight white Christian male, son of a cop — like, everyone else like him looks like me.’ So when he comes at me, it’s more betrayal to them,” he said. “Like, I’ve heard that from them on their side — that that’s why they take it so personally.”
“So I’m not going away. They can say what they want, and the death threats will come, but if they think I’m going to drop my lawsuit from January 6 against the president, or if I regret being an impeachment manager, or if I’m not going to go out and work my ass off to help us win the midterms, like, they’re wrong,” he continued. “I’m not going away. I came from nothing. I was raised by a cop who did the right thing. To me, I’m playing with the house’s money, so to speak. And so this is just a right-or-wrong mission for me.”
Fang was a volunteer on Swalwell’s 2014 House campaign and reportedly participated in fundraisers for him, along with placing an intern in his office. Swalwell has consistently asserted he cut off contact with Fang after being briefed by the FBI on her Chinese government links.
While Republicans have often insinuated that this relationship between Fang and Swalwell was sexual in nature, he has repeatedly declined to say whether or not he had a personal relationship with the alleged spy.
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