Federal agents have seized electronic devices belonging to former California Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell and searched his Washington home as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, a person familiar with the matter told AP.
The latest development adds a new legal dimension to the controversy that forced Swalwell out of Congress earlier this year.
The former seven-term lawmaker has denied allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct.
Devices taken at San Francisco airport
Swalwell's electronic devices were seized by federal agents at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, according to the person familiar with the investigation. Agents then carried out a search warrant at his Washington residence the following day.
AP's source was not authorised to publicly discuss the ongoing matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed what investigators were looking for or what material may have been obtained during the search.
A request for comment by AP was left with an attorney representing Swalwell.
Sexual misconduct allegations ended his congressional career
Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after allegations emerged that he had sexually assaulted a woman on two occasions, including during a period when she worked for him.
The allegations were first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN, according to the AP report.
CNN also reported allegations from three other women involving different forms of alleged sexual misconduct, including claims that Swalwell sent unsolicited explicit messages or nude photographs. Swalwell has denied the accusations.
The allegations also abruptly changed his political trajectory. Swalwell had been regarded as one of the prominent contenders in California's gubernatorial race before withdrawing after the claims surfaced.
Manhattan prosecutors were already examining the claims
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed in April that it had opened an investigation after a former staffer alleged that Swalwell raped her at a hotel while he was in New York City for a charity gala in 2024.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg encouraged survivors and anyone with information related to the allegations to contact its Special Victims Division.
It remains unclear how, or whether, the federal investigation is connected to the inquiry already confirmed by Manhattan prosecutors. The AP report did not specify the exact scope of the federal probe.
Once a high-profile Trump critic in Congress
An Iowa native, Swalwell was elected to Congress in 2012 and represented a district east of San Francisco. He briefly entered the 2020 Democratic presidential race in 2019 but ended his campaign within months.
During Donald Trump's first term, Swalwell became one of the president's most visible Democratic critics. He served on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees and was among the Democratic prosecutors during Trump's second impeachment following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Christine Fang controversy followed him for years
Swalwell also faced sustained scrutiny over his past contact with Christine Fang, a woman suspected of acting on behalf of Chinese intelligence. Fang was reported to have interacted with Swalwell's political operation during his first congressional campaign and participated in fundraising connected to his 2014 campaign.
Federal investigators alerted Swalwell and briefed Congress about their concerns regarding Fang in 2015. Swalwell has said he ended contact with her after receiving that information.
He was not accused of wrongdoing in connection with the matter. A House Ethics Committee investigation launched in 2021 was closed two years later without any action against him.
Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee in 2023, citing concerns surrounding the controversy.
What happens next in the Eric Swalwell investigation
The seizure of electronic devices and execution of a search warrant do not, by themselves, mean that Swalwell has been charged with a crime.
No federal charges against the former congressman were mentioned in the AP report, and authorities have not publicly outlined the next steps in the investigation.
For Swalwell, however, the federal action ensures that the allegations which already brought an end to his congressional career will remain under intense scrutiny as investigators continue their work.
