House Republicans Demand Pelosi Remove Swawell From Intelligence Committee
Michael Cantrell
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A group of House Republicans, led by some of the biggest names of the caucus, have put together a letter demanding House Speaker Nancy Pelois remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee after it was discovered he was the target of a Chinese spy.
Apparently, Swalwell had an “inappropriate relationship” with Christine Fang, also known as “Fang Fang,” a Chinese spy who is notorious for targeting folks in the government.
“We write to you today out of concern with Congressman Eric Swalwell’s reported, close contacts with a Chinese Communist Party spy recently reported by Axios. Because of Rep. Swalwell’s position on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, his close interactions with Chinese intelligence services, however unintentional they may be, are an unacceptable national security risk,” the Republicans told Pelosi in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. “HPSCI handles some of the most sensitive information our government possesses — information critical to our national defense. As such, we urge you to immediately remove Rep. Swalwell from his position on the House Intelligence Committee.”
Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, a Chinese national believed to be working with China’s Ministry of State Security, conducted an extensive political influence operation between 2011 and 2015 on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party in the Bay Area and elsewhere, according to a report by Axios that cited U.S. intelligence officials. Swalwell’s association with Fang, which he has refused to describe in detail, reportedly lasted from 2011 to 2015. Swalwell was elected to the House in 2012.
The letter was signed by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana (a member of the House Armed Services Committee), Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana (the House minority whip), Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia, and a dozen others.
The letter from the House GOP sought to remind Pelosi of how she treated then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions back in 2017, calling for him to recuse himself from being the one to oversee the Trump-Russia probe and resign from his position.
“Attorney General Sessions has never had the credibility to oversee the FBI investigation of senior Trump officials’ ties to the Russians,” Pelosi stated back in March 2017. “Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign.”
House GOP members stated that “in the end, AG Sessions chose to recuse himself from Robert Mueller’s fruitless, unsubstantiated investigation into the Trump campaign” and “by your own standards, Congressman Swalwell is unfit to serve on the Intelligence Committee.”
These guys are absolutely right. Since Swalwell is a man of low moral character and tends to make sloppy, poor choices, he should not be trusted with a high-level security clearance that allows him to have access to intelligence that could compromise our national security.
It’s time for him to be given the boot from the House Intelligence Committee. This shouldn’t even be something that requires a lot of debate. Pretty much a simple choice.
Get it done.
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