FBI raids ex-US Representative Swalwell’s home amid sexual misconduct probe

Swalwell, a vocal Trump critic, resigned from Congress and dropped out of California governor’s race amid allegations.Federal agents have raided the Washington, DC, home of former US Representative Eric Swalwell amid an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, according to US media.The FBI also seized the former legislator’s electronic devices at San Francisco airport over the weekend, according to multiple reports on Thursday. The FBI declined to comment following a request from Al Jazeera.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US Department of Justice defends prosecution of Comey over seashell postlist 2 of 3US primaries in Oklahoma, Georgia, others: Key takeaways from the resultslist 3 of 3What to know about California’s special election to replace Eric Swalwellend of listThe raid comes months after Swalwell, seen by some as a rising star in the Democratic Party and a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, resigned from Congress in April. One woman has publicly accused Swalwell of sexual assault during his time in office, while four others have said he engaged in other forms of sexual misconduct.Swalwell subsequently dropped out of California’s gubernatorial race in which he was seen as a frontrunner.Beyond the sexual assault allegations, Swalwell has also come under scrutiny for a past relationship with a woman, Christine Fang, believed by US authorities to be a Chinese spy.He was removed from the House Intelligence Committee in 2023 due to concerns over the relationship, which Swalwell said he ended after being alerted by federal agents. A House Ethics Committee investigation was eventually closed with no action.Swalwell rose to prominence during Trump’s first term, when he was a Democratic prosecutor in impeachment proceedings against Trump for his alleged role in fomenting the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.The White House released FBI documents this week related to Swalwell’s relationship with Fang. His lawyer said the release was “meant to punish an outspoken critic of the current administration”, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.Trump has repeatedly vowed retribution against his political opponents. Several have since been targeted by the Department of Justice, including, most prominently, former FBI director James Comey, who has been charged in relation to a social media post federal prosecutors said amounted to a direct threat of violence against the president.