Steve Scalise: 'Bottom line' is Swalwell needs to be removed from House Intel Committee
Says 'silence is deafening' from Nancy Pelosi, Democrats about Swalwell questions
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The "silence is deafening" from Democrats on Rep. Eric Swalwell’s Chinese spy entanglement, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said Tuesday.
“A lot of people are asking him what was that relationship? How long back does it go?” Scalise told “Fox & Friends.”
“Reports are that it goes back to when he was a councilman, long before he was in Congress and that the Chinese spy helped bundle money for him, actually helped infiltrate his office, got some other people in his office that were probably spies, and then he gets on the House Intelligence Committee in just his second term, which is very alarming. It doesn’t happen that often that quickly. The bottom line is he should be removed,"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, speaking with FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., explained why he believes Swalwell should be removed from the House Intelligence Committee, noting the Democratic congressman “has access to information that could hurt us” given his alleged “relationship with the Communist Party of China.”
The Republican senator warned that Swalwell has “got our most important secrets” because he serves on the committee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“This is so basic. Nancy Pelosi cannot allow him to stay on the intelligence committee,” Scott said one day after he sent a letter to the House speaker calling for Swalwell’s removal from the committee.
A yearlong Axios investigation revealed links between Swalwell and suspected Chinese spy Fang Fang, aka Christine Fang. The report indicated Fang targeted up-and-coming local politicians, including those who had the potential to become national figures.
Swalwell has been keeping quiet about his past relationship with Fang, whose relationships with at least two Midwestern mayors reportedly turned sexual. When asked about the nature of Swalwell's relationship with Fang, his office declined to comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Axios, federal investigators gave Swalwell a defensive briefing in 2015 during which they alerted him to their concerns over Fang. An intelligence official told the news outlet that Swalwell cut ties with her soon after.
On Wednesday, Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill said the House speaker has "full confidence" in Swalwell and his ability to serve on the Intelligence Committee. He told Fox News the speaker will back Swalwell's continued service on the committee, which has access to classified material and oversees activities of the U.S. intelligence community.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scalise said he wants to know what House Speaker Pelosi knew about the Chinese spy's connection to Swalwell and whether she was aware prior to putting Swalwell on the House Intelligence Committee.
"Very few people get these private briefings. The bottom line is only House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put people on our intelligence committee,” Scalise said, also asking why Pelosi "backed out" of a bipartisan House commission looking at China's behavior on several fronts.
Fox News' Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.