Disgraced former congressman's escapades with alleged Chinese spy named Fang Fang are laid bare in new files

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 01:32, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 01:32, 18 August 2026 Former Congressman Eric Swalwell has admitted to the FBI that he 'occasionally hooked up' with the Chinese spy known as 'Fang Fang' in newly released files.  The White House Transparency Task Force dropped the new documents under the title 'Rusty Thumbs,' another moniker given to the woman whose real name is Christine Fang. Fang, who fled to China in 2015 as the FBI closed in, spent years cozying up to rising California Democrats, helping bundle donations for Swalwell's 2014 re-election campaign and even placing an intern in his congressional office. Swalwell, who resigned from Congress in disgrace in April after he was accused of sexual misconduct, confessed to federal agents at the FBI's Oakland office in 2015 that the two had 'physical relations' on at least two occasions.  Swalwell described Fang as a 'striking individual' but claimed that the hookups happened 'probably before he was first elected to Congress in 2012.'   The ex-politician said that he barely remembers one of the two trysts with the alleged honeypot because it happened after he'd taken Ambien, which he admitted he takes to help sleep.   Fang was obvious with her flirtations with Swalwell, as according to a staffer, she once bragged to Swalwell that 'she was not wearing any underwear.'  Former Congressman Eric Swalwell has admitted to the FBI that he 'occasionally hooked up' with the Chinese spy known as 'Fang Fang' in newly released files The White House Transparency Task Force dropped the new documents under the title 'Rusty Thumbs,' another moniker given to the woman whose real name is Christine Fang He added that the pair's relationship was casual and that they would text each other often.  Swalwell's attorney, Sara Azari, told The Daily Mail that everything released by the White House was old news.   'There is nothing new here. The government's own memorandum confirms what Congressman Swalwell has said for more than a decade: he did nothing wrong, and there was no basis to charge him with any offense,' she said. Azari called it 'deeply concerning' that the White House was using FBI files 'to punish or embarrass an outspoken critic' of Donald Trump.   'An investigation that produced no charges and no finding of wrongdoing should not be resurrected years later as a vehicle for political retaliation,' she added. 'The facts have not changed. Only the political motive for publicizing them has. That should concern anyone who believes federal law enforcement must remain independent of political retribution.'  Swalwell severed all ties and cooperated with investigators after agents warned him about her in a defensive briefing, and the probe ended without charges. But the scandal has dogged him since it burst into public view in 2020. As the FBI pushed to release its investigative files on the matter earlier this year, Swalwell's legal team reportedly claimed that the Trump administration publicizing the documents would look like a punitive bid to weaponize the department against him. Swalwell's legal team reportedly claimed that publicizing the Fang Fang (R) documents would look like a punitive bid to weaponize the department against him  Swalwell resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations that torpedoed his campaign for California governor  Swalwell, who resigned from Congress in disgrace in April after he was accused of sexual misconduct, confessed to federal agents at the FBI's Oakland office in 2015 that the two had 'physical relations' on at least two occasions The ex-politician said that he barely remembers one of the two trysts with the alleged honeypot because it happened after he'd taken Ambien The battle over the files erupted in March, when FBI Director Kash Patel signaled he was preparing to release records from the long-closed probe into Swalwell's contacts with Fang, as the Washington Post first reported. Swalwell, then the frontrunner in California's governor's race, reportedly fired back with a cease-and-desist letter blasting the move as a naked attempt to smear him and torpedo his campaign, according to Sources Say.  He later quit the gubernatorial race amid sexual misconduct allegations in April, which he has denied. Behind the scenes, Justice Department lawyers serving under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi went back and forth with Swalwell's attorney about the file, including discussions aimed at keeping it sealed, according to Sources Say. Ultimately, the Swalwell documents were not released. And Bondi ultimately refused to green-light the release of the Swalwell documents. In response to a request for comment on this article, Bondi told the Daily Mail: 'I NEVER had any conversations with Swalwell nor his legal team regarding the Chinese Spy nor did I direct anyone at DOJ not to release files.' As the Daily Mail first revealed, Bondi was ousted in April in part because Trump believed she had tipped Swalwell off about the administration's plan to release the files. Swalwell has flatly denied getting any warning, insisting to MSNBC during an interview after her firing: 'The attorney general did not tip us off.' Pressed on those allegations and on the exchanges between Swalwell's camp and department lawyers, Bondi reportedly shot back to Sources Say that her only contact with him concerned 'death threats to his wife and children.' Swalwell resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations that torpedoed his campaign for California governor.