Overview
- Patel, according to Saturday reporting, told the San Francisco field office to pull and rapidly redact the decade‑old file for a possible public release, a move an FBI spokesperson later disputed as mischaracterized.
- The investigation into Eric Swalwell’s contacts with suspected Chinese operative Christine Fang resulted in no charges, and a Republican-led House Ethics Committee closed its 2023 review with no action after he cut ties and cooperated in 2015.
- Senior officials have discussed sending agents to China or offering Fang a U.S. visa to secure her cooperation, a plan insiders warn could expose sources and methods and produce unreliable information.
- Swalwell said President Trump and Patel are targeting him and trying to sway the governor’s race, and Democrats including Adam Schiff and Jamie Raskin accused FBI leadership of political use of law enforcement.
- The drive comes weeks before California’s June 2 primary, raising questions about long‑standing Justice Department guidance to avoid public steps near elections and about the rare release of files from closed, non‑charging cases.