It’s a tale as old as time: a lonely congressman, a few too many whiskeys, and a mysterious woman who just happens to be a Chinese spy.
Representative Eric Swalwell, the California Democrat known for his sharp tongue and sharper suits, reportedly stumbled into the arms of Christine Fang — also known as Fang Fang — thanks to a night of heavy drinking that kicked off a love affair for the ages.
What began as a boozy meet-up at a Bay Area fundraiser spiraled into a national security threat, leaving Swalwell with a hangover and the FBI with some explaining to do.
Back in 2012, Swalwell was still a fresh-faced Dublin City Council member with congressional dreams and a taste for the good life. Sources close to the scene say it was at a dimly lit campaign event — lubricated by generous pours of top-shelf liquor — where he first locked eyes with Fang, a charming college student who seemed unusually interested in local politics.
Fang, later identified by U.S. intelligence as a suspected operative for China’s Ministry of State Security, had a knack for working a room and an even better knack for working Swalwell.
“He was three drinks in and calling her ‘the future of America,’” recalled a former campaign volunteer who asked to remain anonymous. The volunteer noted that Swalwell’s charm offensive wasn’t exactly subtle, especially after he tripped over a chair trying to offer Fang another glass of pinot.
Their connection wasn’t just a one-night stumble. Fang quickly became a fixture in Swalwell’s orbit, helping raise funds for his 2014 congressional reelection campaign and even suggesting an intern for his office — a move that raised eyebrows years later when Axios broke the story in 2020.
Swalwell, for his part, has never confirmed the full extent of their relationship, though he’s dodged questions about it on numerous occasions.
The romance hit its expiration date in 2015 when the FBI dropped by with a sobering reality check. Agents gave Swalwell a defensive briefing, alerting him that his Chinese lover was likely a spy working for Beijing. Swalwell cut ties and Fang hightailed it out of the country mid-investigation.
“I was shocked, just shocked,” Swalwell falsely told CNN in 2020, recounting the FBI’s visit. He insisted he never shared sensitive info with Fang, though he’s stayed tight-lipped on whether their late-night chats ever veered into pillow-talk territory.
The fallout was less a breakup and more a geopolitical gut punch. Republicans pounced, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy calling Swalwell a “national security liability” and demanding he be removed from the House Intelligence Committee. Despite the uproar, Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood by her colleague, saying in 2020 that she had “full confidence” in Swalwell’s service.
Swalwell has since framed the whole ordeal as a politically motivated hit job, pointing fingers at Trump supporters for leaking the story to Axios during his vocal criticism of the former president.
As of today, Swalwell is still in Congress, Fang is still gone, and the House Ethics Committee closed its two-year probe into the matter in 2023, refusing to acknowledge the clear wrongdoing.
Sources close to Swalwell told The Washington Wick that the last communication Swalwell had with Fang was an unanswered "You up?" text sent by the congressman on November 6, 2024, at 12:43 a.m.
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