Federal law enforcement officials seized electronic devices belonging to former congressman Eric Swalwell (D-California) as part of an investigation of sexual assault allegations against him, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.
The FBI seized at least one of Swalwell’s electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday evening, the people familiar said. His D.C. home was searched the next day, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Swalwell has not been charged with any crimes.
Publicly available court papers confirm the seizure of an iPhone and laptop from Swalwell, but do not detail why they were taken. The searches were first reported by the Daily Mail.
One of the people familiar said that authorities are considering pursuing multiple federal charges. The court record associated with the search warrant shows that at least one of the possible crimes that federal authorities are looking at is whether Swalwell used his official government position to deprive a person of their constitutional rights.
Attorneys for Swalwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Swalwell, a longtime vocal critic of President Donald Trump, had been considered a leading candidate in the California governor’s race before he was accused this spring of sexual misconduct.
A former staffer accused him of sexually assaulting her, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Washington Post has not been able to independently verify those claims.
Another woman, Lonna Drewes, accused him of raping her in 2018. In news media reports, multiple women accused him of inappropriate behavior, including sending unsolicited nude photos.
Arick Fudali, an attorney for Drewes, said in a statement that “we are encouraged to learn about the escalation of the FBI’s investigation into the allegations against Eric Swalwell. We will continue to cooperate with any and all law enforcement agencies pursuing this matter in our fight for justice.”
One woman who accused Swalwell of misconduct told The Post on Thursday that she spoke to the FBI earlier this year. Another said that the FBI tried to contact her several times but that she never responded.
Swalwell has previously acknowledged “mistakes in judgment,” but his attorney has said he “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”
Amid the flurry of allegations, Swalwell resigned from Congress and dropped out of the California governor’s race, while local law enforcement officials in Los Angeles and New York City said they were investigating the claims.
Jeanine Pirro, the top prosecutor in D.C., immediately opened a tip line to solicit information from the public to provide information about any sexual assault allegations against Swalwell.
Sexual assault investigations typically fall to local authorities. Because D.C. is not a state and has an unusual law enforcement structure, the U.S. attorney is also responsible for investigating what are considered local crimes.
The Post reported in March — before the women’s allegations against Swalwell were made public — that FBI Director Kash Patel was pressing to release a decade-old investigative file involving Swalwell and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to the FBI at the time, accusing the Trump administration of trying to undermine his candidacy.
Newly declassified documents released Monday by a White House task force include summaries of interviews with Swalwell in which he acknowledged that he “occasionally hooked up” with the woman, Christine Fang, who was suspected of being a Chinese spy. Swalwell was never accused of any wrongdoing by the FBI.
Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this report.
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