A three-year FBI investigation into then-Rep. Eric Swalwell concluded that a suspected Chinese operative, Fang Fang, helped solicit illegal campaign donations, but the probe was ultimately dropped due to national security concerns. Declassified White House files indicate the investigation, codenamed "Freshman Fifteen," ran from May 2014 to May 2017.
The FBI launched the investigation following a tip that internships in Swalwell's congressional offices were offered in exchange for campaign contributions. According to an FBI memo from June 2014, the scheme involved routing contributions through third parties to conceal the donors' identities, with some donations allegedly made by foreign nationals in violation of federal law.
While FBI agents interviewed Swalwell, campaign donors, and others connected to the congressman, they were unable to substantiate the allegations of a direct quid pro quo for internships. However, the investigation did find evidence that Fang, also known as Christine Fang, broke federal law by soliciting illegal straw donations from foreign nationals, destroying records, making false statements, smuggling cash, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, believed to be on behalf of China.
Fang departed the United States and has been barred from re-entry. A May 2017 FBI memo stated that prosecution was deemed non-viable due to national security reasons after consultation with the San Francisco Division Executive Management and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
Neither Swalwell nor Fang were charged as a result of the investigation. Both Swalwell and associates interviewed by the FBI indicated they viewed Fang as a potential spy for China's Ministry of State Security, noting her lack of academic engagement despite holding a student visa and her parents' alleged roles as intelligence officers.
Swalwell admitted to investigators that he had a personal relationship with Fang, engaging in intimate encounters at his apartment on at least two occasions. A former campaign aide confirmed Fang was "very flirtatious" and had made suggestive remarks to Swalwell.
Swalwell's association with Fang, first reported in December 2020, led to his removal from the House Intelligence Committee by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy in January 2023, citing national security concerns. Swalwell maintained that he viewed Fang as a contact for the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Associations (APAPA) and that she recommended individuals for positions, aligning with his view that diversity was important among his constituents.
During the investigation, Fang was introduced to an undercover FBI employee in early 2015. The employee expressed interest in hosting a fundraiser for Swalwell and donating to his re-election campaign in exchange for an internship. This potential sting operation, approved by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, was reportedly derailed when Fang suspected her contact was a government agent, leading her to return to China.
Despite the stalled sting, the FBI concluded that Fang had secured at least four "conduit campaign contributions" for Swalwell in 2013 and 2014. She had also solicited a $5,000 donation for Swalwell's campaign in exchange for arranging a meeting with the congressman, and more for obtaining an internship slot.
The declassified files were released by the White House following threats from Swalwell to sue the FBI over the planned disclosure of the information. Swalwell, who was a gubernatorial candidate before withdrawing his candidacy and resigning from Congress in April, did not respond to requests for comment on the FBI disclosures.