Trey Gowdy Rips Pelosi for Handling of Swalwell Scandal: You Can't Find 1 Dem Who Didn't Date a Spy?
So why is Eric Swalwell still on the House Intelligence Committee?
It’s not because of intelligence. It turns out that during his 2014 congressional campaign, a Chinese national named Christine Fang (also known as Fang Fang) helped him fundraise. At one point, she reportedly placed an intern in his office.
In 2015, he was apparently given what was known as a “defensive briefing” by the FBI, who informed him that Fang was likely a spy for the Chinese government.
He says he cut off all ties in the wake of the briefing, although members of his family remained friends with her on Facebook until after news of his relationship with her broke.
After the story hit, Swalwell claimed the intelligence was leaked to Axios as retribution for his opposition to President Donald Trump, an idea that an Axios reporter called “risible.”
Perhaps what’s most telling, however, is that Swalwell refuses to clarify what his relationship with Fang, ahem, entailed. This is somewhat important since the alleged spy purportedly slept with several of the targets she tried ingratiating herself with.
When Fox News’ Jake Gibson caught up with Swalwell outside his home on Thursday, the California Democrat refused to clarify anything regarding how close the two were. This is kind of important — since, as former South Carolina GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy pointed out, Nancy Pelosi apparently “cannot find a single [Democrat] that didn’t date a Chinese spy” to sit on the House Intelligence Committee.
Appearing Tuesday on Fox News, Gowdy, a Fox contributor and former member of the House Intelligence Committee himself, pointed out the simple reality of the situation: While no one has said on the record that Swalwell slept with Fang, all the California representative and former Democratic presidential candidate has to do is say it never happened and this all goes away.
“I don’t think Swalwell has denied having a relationship [with her],” Gowdy noted.
“He said it was classified. I’ll be damned if I know what that means: All you’ve got to say is, ‘I didn’t sleep with her,’ Eric. That’s all you got to say.”
So what does Gowdy think about Swalwell’s culpability?
“Unfortunately I know him. This is the same guy that ran for president so he’s not known for his self-awareness,” Gowdy said.
“I need to hear from the FBI and the director of national intelligence. What did you all have? I mean, you went to a sitting member of Congress and said, ‘Look, you probably should not be having any new faces in your life.’ What did they tell him?
Forget about the questions for Eric Swalwell, although those are important. Gowdy wants to know what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew and why she didn’t find someone to take his place on the House Intelligence Committee.
“There are 230 [House] Democrats, and you mean to tell me she cannot find a single one that didn’t date a Chinese spy?” Gowdy said.
Gowdy said that Republicans were “frustrated” given Pelosi’s inaction, especially since they “listened to him for years” on the Trump family’s alleged misbehavior in regard to Russia.
“He berated Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. for meeting with a Russian lawyer — not dating one, meeting with one,” Gowdy said.
“And then he berates Devin Nunes for a phone call with Lev Parnas, and he calls the president an agent of Russia.
“Meanwhile, for four years, the guy is not smart enough to know he’s being played by a Chinese spy?” Gowdy continued.
“That’s the best Nancy Pelosi could do? Out of 230 members, the best you can come up with is a former city councilman in California who’s not smart enough to know when a woman is expressing interest in you, [whether] she’s a spy?”
But who wouldn’t be interested in a smarmy gun-grabber with an apparent interest in nuking people?
This has always invariably been the problem with Swalwell: He’s a man imbued with the oblivious confidence of a politician who faces no real headwinds from the media. He’s like Beto O’Rourke, if Beto had the kind of decision-making skills that would lead Swalwell to where he is now.
Whether or not Rep. Swalwell slept with Christine Fang, one thing is for certain: He shouldn’t be in a position to receive America’s secrets.
If he won’t remove himself from the situation, Nancy Pelosi needs to do it — and she should have done it already.
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