Sen. Cruz mocks Rep. Swalwell's entanglement with Chinese spy

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., had some fun at the expense of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., in the wake of the new revelations about his past entanglement with a Chinese spy. 

Earlier this week, Axios broke the story of how a Chinese national named Fang Fang targeted up-and-coming local politicians, including Swalwell, who she reportedly met when he was a councilman before he was elected to Congress.  

However, what has drawn a lot of attention from the report was the claim that Fang had sexual relations with two mayors from the Midwest, which has raised questions about Swalwell's relationship with Fang. 

In a recent interview with Politico, Swalwell declined to comment when asked to explain the relationship he had with the alleged spy. 

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While critics have mocked Swalwell for the apparent hypocrisy after he spent the past several years pushing the connections between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, Cruz mocked the Democrat by implying the California congressman did have an illicit relationship with the Chinese spy. 

"More than once, I’ve said 'screw the Chinese communists,'" Cruz said. "Little did I know how closely Swalwell was listening."

Fang took part in fundraising for Swalwell's 2014 reelection campaign, although she did not make donations nor was there evidence of illegal contributions, according to Axios. 

Investigators reportedly became so alarmed by Fang’s behavior and activities that they alerted Swalwell in 2015 to their concerns and gave him a “defensive briefing.” Swalwell then cut off all ties with Fang and has not been accused of any wrongdoing, according to an official who spoke to the outlet. 

In the interview with Politico, Swalwell hinted that President Trump was behind the leaked information even though Axios began its investigation over a year ago. 

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“I’ve been a critic of the president. I’ve spoken out against him," Swalwell said on Tuesday. "I was on both committees that worked to impeach him. The timing feels like that should be looked at."

"What it appears though that this person — as the story reports — was unsuccessful in whatever they were trying to do," Swalwell told Politico. "But if intelligence officials are trying to weaponize someone’s cooperation, they are essentially seeking to do what this person was not able to do, which is to try and discredit someone,"

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.