Federal agents confronted former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport and seized his cellphone and other electronics under a search warrant, according to multiple reports.
But the airport encounter was only the first move.
Agents reportedly executed additional court-approved warrants at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., home the following day and removed more potential evidence.
The extraordinary searches are tied to a federal criminal investigation involving sexual-assault allegations against the former California congressman, sources familiar with the matter told news outlets Thursday.
Swalwell has denied the underlying allegations. He has not been charged with a crime, and the execution of a search warrant does not establish guilt.
FBI agents confront Eric Swalwell at San Francisco Airport and seize his electronics as part of sexual misconduct investigation https://t.co/6zycCEHqFP
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) August 20, 2026
The New York Post reported that agents served Swalwell with a warrant Saturday after he arrived in California following a flight from Washington, where he maintains a residence.
A source told the outlet that agents seized his cellphone and other electronics sought as part of the federal criminal investigation. Swalwell, 45, was reportedly cooperative during the airport encounter.
The source said agents then carried out additional court-approved warrants Sunday at Swalwell’s Northeast Washington residence, where they took other undisclosed items considered potential evidence in the case.
The Post reported that the Department of Justice opened a federal investigation in April. It had sought comment from the DOJ, FBI and Swalwell as the story developed Thursday morning.
The outlet also placed the federal activity alongside the investigations opened by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after women came forward. No agency had announced charges against Swalwell as of Thursday morning.
The timing is notable because the first major report appeared before Insider Wire’s widely shared breaking-news post:
#BREAKING: FBI seizes Eric Swalwell’s electronics at San Francisco airport in sexual misconduct probe.
— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) August 20, 2026
The Daily Mail first reported that agents were waiting when Swalwell reached San Francisco after traveling from Washington on Saturday.
Its sources said agents had court-approved warrants for multiple devices, including his cellphone. Neither Swalwell nor his wife was reportedly at the Washington home when agents searched it Sunday.
The outlet said the second search produced additional undisclosed items. Authorities have not publicly identified everything that was taken or disclosed the precise scope of the warrants.
The Daily Mail said its sources separated the weekend searches from the newly released FBI records concerning Christine Fang. Those older counterintelligence files have produced a separate wave of scrutiny, but the new warrants were reportedly connected to the sexual-assault investigation.
The outlet had contacted Swalwell and the Justice Department for comment. Its account described Swalwell as cooperative at the airport and said agents searched the Washington property while both he and his wife were away.
Another early report summarized the phone seizure and the allegations at the center of the investigation:
Woah – Eric Swalwell had his phone seized by the FBI amid sexual misconduct allegations.
A former staffer claimed the married politician raped her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent in 2019 and 2024. https://t.co/K90J29iPKg
— Jon Michael Raasch (@JMRaasch) August 20, 2026
CNN separately confirmed the airport seizure and Washington home search through sources familiar with the investigation.
The network reported that two women who publicly accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct had spoken with the FBI. It also said the weekend searches were connected to the sexual-assault claims rather than the recently released files concerning Swalwell’s relationship with suspected Chinese operative Christine Fang.
The allegations first exploded publicly in April, when a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her in 2019 and again in 2024. Other women later made separate allegations of sexual assault or misconduct.
Swalwell has categorically denied the sexual-assault allegations. When he resigned from Congress, he apologized to his family, staff and constituents for what he called “mistakes in judgment,” while insisting the most serious accusations were false.
The scandal ended his campaign for California governor and prompted his resignation from the House. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also opened investigations after women came forward.
Just the News also reported the federal seizure Thursday and noted that Swalwell’s congressional exit and abandoned gubernatorial bid followed renewed scrutiny of his conduct and the allegations from women.
The federal warrants mark a significant escalation from interviews and preliminary investigative work to the collection of potential digital evidence.
For now, the contents of the seized devices, the evidence presented to obtain the warrants and any possible charging decision remain undisclosed.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
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