Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

FBI Briefs Reps. Pelosi, McCarthy on Rep. Swalwell's Ties to Suspected Chinese Spy

FBI Briefs Reps. Pelosi, McCarthy on Rep. Swalwell's Ties to Suspected Chinese Spy

Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives received an FBI briefing regarding Rep. Eric Swalwell's ties to a suspected Chinese spy, as a report of his association with the woman prompted Republicans to call for the California Democrat's removal from his position in the House Intelligence Committee.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were briefed on Friday. McCarthy has said he requested the meeting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, McCarthy said the briefing "only raised more questions. The one thing that was fundamentally answered: he should not be on Intel."

McCarthy is one of several prominent Republicans to call for Swalwell's removal from the high-powered committee following a report from Axios that Swalwell and other California politicians had for years been targeted for information by a suspected Chinese spy. Axios reports that U.S. officials do not believe that Swalwell or others gave the woman classified information.

Top House leaders — Pelosi and McCarthy — decide which lawmakers get appointed to the intelligence committee.

Calling China "an adversary in many shapes and many forms," McCarthy said "there are definitely 200 other Democrats that I know could fill that place long before this individual should be serving." He did not elaborate beyond that.

A spokeswoman for Swalwell's office did not return a request for comment regarding the FBI briefing and McCarthy's remarks. The FBI declined to comment as well.

Pelosi did not comment after Friday's meeting. Asked about the matter last week, she said that the leadership of the House and of the Intelligence Committee were informed in 2015 "that overtures from a Chinese person were being made to members of Congress," but that communication ended once they were aware.

"I don't have any concern about Mr. Swalwell," Pelosi said.

In an interview with CNN earlier this week, Swalwell said he was "shocked" to learn of the individual's ties back then. "Just over six years ago, I was told about this individual. And then I offered to help. And I did help. I was thanked by the FBI for my help," he said.

"I was a little surprised to read about my cooperation in that [Axios] story because the story says that there was never a suspicion of wrongdoing on my part, and all I did was cooperate."

Swalwell pointed to his work on President Trump's impeachment as a possible motive for the leaked information.

"If this is a country where people who criticize the president are going to have law enforcement information weaponized against them, that's not a country that any of us want to live in. And I hope it is investigated as to who leaked this information," he told the network.

Since the news broke early last week, Republicans have sharply criticized Swalwell for having allegedly fallen victim to a spy operation, and some have gone so far as to call for his resignation from Congress.

In a White House briefing earlier this week, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said about Swalwell: "After entangling with this spy for years, Swalwell hypocritically went on to be one of the lead instigators of the Russia collusion hoax and the impeachment sham."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×