Democrats decry ‘smear’ as Trump FBI pushes for release of Eric Swalwell file

Democrats decry ‘smear’ as Trump FBI pushes for release of Eric Swalwell file California governor contender not accused of wrongdoing in decade-old inquiry into suspected Chinese agent The Trump administration has reportedly been pushing to release records from an FBI investigation related to Eric Swalwell and alleged links to a Chinese agent as the Democratic congressman makes gains in the California governor’s race. The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing “three people familiar with the effort”, that the FBI director, Kash Patel, is pushing to release the files, even though there is no public evidence of wrongdoing on Swalwell’s part. The records stem from a decade-old investigation into a suspected spy who had developed relationships with US politicians and assisted Swalwell with fundraising. An FBI official previously said Swalwell was cooperative with the investigation and was not suspected of wrongdoing. He cut off contact with the woman after speaking to the FBI. The profile of Swalwell, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who served as a congressional manager during the president’s second impeachment trial, has risen as the contest for California governor takes shape. The field of candidates to replace Gavin Newsom is crowded, with at least eight Democrats, including Swalwell, and two Republicans. Republicans have led the race in recent polling , fueling concerns of a conservative win, because the top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the general election in November. A poll last week commissioned by the state’s Democratic party found that conservative political commentator Steve Hilton had the support of 16% of participants in the upcoming primary and Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff, had 14%. Three Democrats , Swalwell, former congresswoman Katie Porter and the billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, were in a dead heat, with support from 10% of people surveyed. Swalwell has gained support from key forces in the ...