Swalwell Lawyers Demand FBI Halt Release Of Decade-Old File
Swalwell's attorneys sent a cease-and-desist to FBI Director Kash Patel over reported plans to release a decade-old investigative file tied to a suspected Chinese operative.
The Gateway PunditJUST IN: Swalwell Panics, Sends Kash Patel Cease and Desist Letter as FBI Director Pushes to Release Salacious Fang Fang Files | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila
Raw StoryFBI director Kash Patel hit with legal action for move to dig up dirt on Dem
Associated PressLawyers for Rep. Swalwell demand that FBI director halt any plan to release old investigative file
The GuardianDemocrats decry ‘smear’ as Trump FBI pushes for release of Eric Swalwell file
Overview
Lawyers for Rep. Eric Swalwell demanded that FBI Director Kash Patel immediately stop efforts to release records from a decade-old investigation, seeking a response within three days and warning of legal action, the attorneys said.
The demand follows reports that Patel directed agents to review and redact files in preparation for possible public release, even though the investigation produced no criminal charges, according to reporting.
Prominent Democrats including Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Jamie Raskin denounced the reported effort as political weaponization, and Swalwell's attorneys warned release would violate federal law, they said.
The episode intersects with California's June 2 primary, in which eight Democrats and two Republicans are running, and the House Ethics Committee closed its investigation in 2023 without action, officials said.
The attorneys demanded a written response within three days and warned that any move to publicize the investigative file would prompt legal action, they said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story as a politically fraught, potentially improper action by emphasizing norms and motive: they foreground Swalwell’s lawyers’ cease-and-desist and note it’s "extraordinarily unusual" to release non-charge files, link Patel’s prior attacks and Swalwell’s opposition to Trump, and omit any substantive DOJ rationale—creating an insinuating narrative.