CALIFORNIA — FBI Director Kash Patel directed agents in the FBI's San Francisco office to redact case files for public release from a decade-old investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell's ties to a suspected Chinese spy. The investigation, which resulted in no charges, centered on Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who volunteered raising money for Swalwell's congressional campaign.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democratic candidate for governor of California, accused President Donald Trump of trying to sway the California governor's election by pushing to release old FBI files related to his past investigation. "Gas prices are soaring. And threats against the homeland are on the rise. But instead of concentrating on the issues most important to this country, Donald Trump and Kash Patel have decided to continue their revenge tour and to interfere in the California Governor's election," Swalwell said.

The FBI rarely releases case files tied to closed investigations that did not result in criminal charges. Swalwell said he had not been contacted by the FBI and did not trust the agency to handle the file release fairly.

Christine Fang came into contact with Swalwell's campaign in 2012 when he was first running for Congress. She participated in fundraising for his 2014 congressional campaign and helped place an intern in his office. Swalwell cut off ties to Christine Fang in 2015 after intelligence officials briefed Congress about Chinese efforts to infiltrate the legislative body.

The House Ethics Committee closed a two-year investigation into allegations of Swalwell's ties to Christine Fang in 2023. He said he assisted the FBI in its counterintelligence investigation of Christine Fang after the ethics probe closed.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked Swalwell from serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2023 due to his past connection with a suspected spy. "A lot of people have bent the knee to this administration. But I will not. And neither will the people of California," he said.

Congressional Democrats criticized Patel's actions. U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, who endorsed Swalwell for governor of California, said, "This abuse of the FBI is as dangerous as it is unlawful."

U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez accused Kash Patel of wasting resources on a closed, decade-old case in which Swalwell cooperated with the FBI and was found innocent of any wrongdoing. "Reopening it now, right as he leads in the polls and ballots are about to drop, is a political hit-job!" Gomez said. "Trump and Kash Patel are weaponizing the FBI against people they deem political enemies." Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, accused Kash Patel of acting at the behest of the White House, wasting FBI resources, and perhaps violating the Hatch Act by ordering agents to prepare a political smear file.