Swalwell says Bondi didn’t tip him off on report

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Thursday denied a claim that Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired for leaking information to him about a decade-old investigation into his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy. 

“The attorney general did not tip us off. No one in her orbit tipped us off,” Swalwell said in an interview on MS NOW.

President Trump fired Bondi on Thursday after 14 months on the job, a decision that sources have linked to her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and to her lack of success in prosecuting some of Trump’s adversaries. Bondi had worked with Trump since defending him in cases challenging the 2020 election results.

Swalwell, a key figure in Trump’s first impeachment, is the leading Democratic candidate for governor in California’s open primary, with 13.4 percent support, according to Decision Desk HQ polling averages.

The primary is set for June 2, with the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advancing to the general election. More than a half dozen Democratic candidates are on the primary ballot, and polls have shown voters in the heavily blue state spreading their support among them.

That has created the unusual possibility of two Republican candidates making it through to the November general election ballot if Swalwell or another Democratic candidate comes in third in June.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that FBI Director Kash Patel has pushed FBI agents to gather documents on the relationship between Swalwell and Christina Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative known as Fang Fang. She reportedly helped Swalwell with fundraising for his 2014 reelection campaign and placed an intern in his congressional office.

The agents and other personnel were directed to gather and redact sensitive information from documents from the investigation, which has long been closed, in preparation for sharing with senior Trump administration officials, the Post reported.

Reports swirled Thursday that Trump was furious that Bondi had tipped off Swalwell about the plans to release the files.

Swalwell’s comments on MS NOW echoed a statement he issued Thursday.

“We had no heads-up by anyone in the administration. None,” he said.

“These stories would be laughable if not so outrageous. An administration that is now at 33% approval is looking to blame anyone but the right people — themselves.”

Earlier this week, Swalwell said Trump would like a Republican ally to win the California governor’s race, effectively giving the president “a Western White House” in Sacramento.

“The way to do that is to knock out the leading candidate and try and get two Republicans through in our top two primary,” he said Monday in an interview on “CNN News Central.”

In September, Trump publicly urged Bondi to speed up prosecution of his political opponents, complaining that “nothing is being done.”

Swalwell told CNN that Trump “wants an attorney general that is willing to break the law” and is willing to “weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies.”

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