The New York Times does not appear to have covered a story detailing Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s contacts with an alleged Chinese spy.
Christine Fang, the suspected spy, became close with Swalwell and even participated in his 2014 reelection campaign, according to a Dec. 7 report published by Axios. Fang, who is also accused of having an affair with at least two U.S. mayors, did not donate money and there isn’t evidence of illegal contributions.
Fang reportedly planted an intern in Swalwell’s congressional office, according to the report. Swalwell was informed of Fang’s suspected ties in 2015 by the FBI via a “defensive briefing,” cut ties with the alleged spy and has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
The NYT is not the only outlet that has avoided reporting that a suspected Chinese spy was able to get close to multiple politicians. The Washington Post wrote articles about the news as recently as Friday after first ignoring the report. (RELATED: Media Largely Ignores Report Of Swalwell’s Involvement With Suspected Chinese Spy)
The New York Times has yet to inform its readers that Congressman Eric Swalwell, who sits on the Intelligence Committee, had a relationship with a Chinese spy. Journalism is broken. pic.twitter.com/2BCDLEYajy
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) December 11, 2020
The NYT did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.
Swalwell briefly addressed the Axios report after it became public. He condemned the leak and suggested that it somehow involved President Donald Trump while talking to CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Dec. 9.
“I was shocked,” Swalwell said. “Just over six years ago, I was told about this individual and then I offered to help, and I did help and I was thanked by the FBI for my help and that person is no longer in the country and I was a little surprised to read about my cooperation in that story, because the story says that there was never a suspicion of wrongdoing on my part.”
Swalwell’s view on this leak is a far cry from that of a 2017 Trump-Russia related leak considered to include highly classified intelligence information. In 2017, Swalwell pushed a leak about the FBI obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants against Carter Page, Trump’s former policy adviser. Swalwell did not condemn this particular leak and suggested that Page could be hiding something.
Republican Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner is now demanding the House Ethics Committee “immediately open an investigation” into the situation, as Swalwell sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – and still, the NYT is silent.
“Allowing an international spy to forge a close relationship with a member of Congress and then allowing personnel decisions to be influenced by a Chinese national does not reflect creditably on the House,” Sensenbrenner wrote according to Fox News.