In 2015, federal investigators “became so alarmed by Fang’s behavior and activities” that they gave Swalwell a defensive briefing on Fang, who is also known as Christine Fang, and Swalwell “immediately cut off all ties” to her and has not been accused of any wrongdoing, according to Axios. Fang abruptly left the United States and returned to China in mid-2015, the publication reported.
Asked Thursday about the report and calls from some Republican leaders for action to be taken against Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference that she was unconcerned.
“Well, I don’t have any concern about Mr. Swalwell,” Pelosi said. She noted that congressional leaders — Republicans and Democrats — were informed in spring 2015 that “a Chinese person” was making overtures to members of Congress.
“I think we should make sure that everybody knows what they are being subjected to, but I don’t know that it means that we have to have background checks for every intern who comes into the Capitol,” she said.
During an interview on Fox News Channel earlier Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for Swalwell to be removed from the Intelligence Committee. He also asked when Pelosi became aware of the matter.
Pelosi responded at her news conference, saying it was “unfortunate that Mr. McCarthy is trying to make an issue of this” because leaders of both parties were informed “at the same moment” that several members of Congress had been targeted.
“The House Republican and Democratic leader and the leadership of the committee were briefed at the same moment,” Pelosi told reporters. “Make sure you know that, because he keeps going around saying, ‘When did they know?’ We knew when they knew. And at that time, that was the end of it.”
She also accused McCarthy of “trying to deflect attention from the fact that he has QAnon in his delegation over there.”
“That, I think, is a danger, in terms of our debate here about, you know, what the possibilities are for undue influence to members of Congress,” Pelosi said, referring to the baseless conspiracy theory that some new members of the House Republican conference have embraced.
Adherents of QAnon believe that President Trump is battling a cabal of “deep state” pedophiles who worship Satan. The FBI has deemed the group a domestic terrorism threat.
