Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Eric Swalwell on Thursday days after it was revealed that he had a relationship with a Chinese spy until 2015, Axios reports.
"I don't have any concern about Mr. Swalwell," Pelosi told a reporter at a press conference. "In terms of Mr. Swalwell, in the spring of 2015, the leadership of the House and the committee were informed that overtures from a Chinese person were being made to members of Congress. When that was made known to the members of Congress, it was over. You know, that was the end of any communication with those people."
Controversy has surrounded Eric Swalwell after a report from Axios revealed that a Chinese spy named Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, managed to develop relationships with powerful Democratic politicians, mostly in the Bay Area of California. Swalwell was one of the main targets, with Fang hosting fundraisers for his campaign and even placing an intern in the Congressman's office.
Pelosi, who represents San Francisco in Congress, said that she doesn't think that Congress needs to background check every intern, however.
It has since been speculated that Swalwell had sexual relations with the intern, an allegation which Swalwell has refused to confirm or deny. Fang is known to have had sexual relationships with at least two Midwestern mayors.
Republican politicians have responded to the controversy by calling for Swalwell to be removed from the House Intelligence Committee, a position which gives him wide access to US intelligence secrets. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who represents a district in central California, has led the calls for Swalwell's removal, calling him a "national security liability."
Republican Senator Josh Hawley also called for Swalwell's removal from the intel committee, asking Tucker Carlson in Tuesday interview rhetorically "why is this person still there?"
Pelosi dismissed McCarthy's calls for Swalwell's removal, insisting that he is "trying to deflect attention from the fact that he has QAnon in his delegation," although she did not provide any evidence of this claim.
Pelosi also insisted that she has been fighting Chinese influence "for 30 years," and that she will continue to do so. "There are those in the Congress who believe, and I'm among them, that we should be seeing what influence the Chinese... in terms of their undue influence at universities in our country and the overtures they try to make to members of Congress," the Speaker said.
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