Politics · Swallwell probeFBI Seizes Former Congressman's Phone and Laptop in Sealed Civil Rights ProbeAired August 21, 2026 at 5:09 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The FBI moved a federal investigation of0:02former Democratic Representative Eric0:04Swalwell from [music] inquiry to0:05compulsory searches, executing two0:08judicially authorized warrants about 240:10[music] hours apart and taking his0:12personal phone and laptop for forensic0:14examination. No criminal charges have0:16been filed and the affidavit explaining0:18probable cause remains sealed. The0:20warrants were obtained through standard0:22federal process. The field work was0:24handled by FBI agents and federal0:26prosecutors with the Attorney General's0:28role described as [music] overall0:30supervision without a operational part0:32in the seizures. Calendar verification0:34confirms August 16th, 2026 [music] was a0:36Saturday and August 17th was a Sunday.0:38The airport seizure happened at 8:250:40[music] p.m. on Saturday, August 16th0:43and the home search followed the next0:44day. The public papers cite 18 USC0:47Section 242, deprivation of rights under0:50color of law and other offenses. The0:52statute applies when a person acting0:54under official authority willfully0:56deprives someone of constitutional0:57rights and [music] in severe cases can0:59carry up to life imprisonment. In this1:01context, it is being used for a federal1:03civil rights inquiry that can encompass1:05sexual assault in the official power1:06setting. [music]1:07The specific conduct investigators1:09believe may violate the statute is not1:11disclosed while the affidavit is sealed.1:13Descriptions of the seizure varied at1:14first. The public inventory returned to1:16the court resolves the airport seizure1:18to the white iPhone,1:19>> [music]1:19>> MacBook Pro and charging equipment.1:22Swalwell cooperated and was not arrested1:24or detained beyond the brief airport1:25stop. Beyond the airport inventory, no1:28additional inventory for the Washington1:30D.C. residence was found in searchable1:32public federal court records and1:34reporting does not specify [music] what1:36if anything was recovered there. The1:37forensic review has no public timeline1:40and no results have been released. Any1:42examination is confined to what the1:44warrants authorize. Standard practice is1:46to image the devices and review1:48communications and location information1:49only as it relates to the civil rights1:51theory cited to obtain the warrants.1:53[music] The central named accuser is1:54Lana Peters, rendered as Lana Peters in1:57some notes, a former model who worked1:58with brands including Mark Jacobs2:00[music] and Juicy Couture, and later2:02worked as a fashion and software2:03entrepreneur associated with companies2:05including Global Fashion Data and Style2:07Trust. [music]2:08At an April 14th, 2026 press conference2:11with attorneys Lisa Bloom and Eric2:12Fudali, [music]2:13she alleged that in 2018 Swalwell met2:15her socially and professionally, invited2:18her to public and political events while2:19his wife was pregnant, and on a third2:21occasion while heading to an event2:22stopped at his West Hollywood area hotel2:24for paperwork. [music]2:25She said after one glass of wine she2:27became incapacitated and unable to move,2:30then was raped and choked until she lost2:31consciousness,2:32>> [music]2:32>> stating she thought she had died and did2:34not consent. She said she did not2:36undergo a rape kit at the time, but2:37disclosed contemporaneously to close2:39people, recorded [music] it in a journal2:40and calendar, and later discussed it in2:42therapy at a sexual assault center. The2:44Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department2:46opened an investigation into her claims.2:49Separate reporting [music] documents2:50additional allegations from multiple2:52other women, including a former staffer2:54alleging two non-consensual encounters,2:56[music] one while employed around 2019,2:58and another in 2024 in New York while3:00intoxicated. At least four women have3:02confirmed they were contacted [music] by3:04the FBI, and parallel inquiries by the3:06Manhattan District Attorney's Special3:07Victims Division have been referenced.3:09Swalwell denies assaulting anyone and3:11denies criminal conduct while3:13acknowledging unspecified [music] past3:14mistakes in judgment. There was no3:16on-the-record comment from him or his3:18counsel on the weekend searches in the3:19major coverage, and the Department3:21[music] of Justice had no immediate3:22response. Campaign funds have previously3:25been used to pay law firms [music] whose3:26representatives did not respond to3:28requests for comment in recent coverage.3:31Swalwell was the Democratic Congressman3:33for California's 14th [music] District3:34in the East Bay. He resigned in April3:372026, announced around April 13th and3:39effective around April 14th amid the3:42[music] misconduct accusations that also3:43ended a leading bid for California3:45governor. California State Senator Aisha3:47Wahab, a Democrat, won the August 18th,3:502026 special election runoff to fill the3:52remainder of the term through the new3:53[music] Congress in 2027. On a separate3:56track on or about August 17th, 2026, the3:59White House released [music] previously4:01restricted FBI records from a decade-old4:03counterintelligence investigation known4:05as Freshman 15 into Christine Fang, also4:08known as Fang Fang, [music] a Chinese4:09national suspected of ties to China's4:11Ministry of State Security. The release4:13followed declassification and was4:15promoted through a transparency [music]4:16task force.4:18The 2015 to 2016 interview materials4:21state Swalwell told FBI agents he had4:23hooked up and had physical relations4:24[music] with Fang on a handful of4:25occasions, casual rather than a romantic4:28relationship, last around March 2015,4:30including one occasion after taking4:32[music] Ambien, that Fang assisted with4:34fundraising and placing interns, and4:36that investigators examined possible4:37straw or conduit donations. That matter4:39was previously closed without charges by4:41the [music] FBI and Department of4:42Justice, and reviewed and cleared by the4:44House Ethics Committee after Swalwell4:46cut contact following a defensive4:47briefing. His counsel has said the4:49[music] records confirm no wrongdoing4:51and no basis for charges. Reporting4:53treats that release is historical and4:54coinciding with but not publicly [music]4:56linked by evidence to the sexual4:57misconduct seizures. The practical4:59consequence now is forensic. [music]5:01Investigators hold the white iPhone and5:03MacBook Pro, and any charging decision5:05will turn on what imaging and analysis5:07shows within the limits the court set.5:09For people who reported harm, including5:11Drews and other women contacted by5:12investigators, [music]5:14the escalation signals the claims are5:15being treated as a criminal civil rights5:17matter worthy of compulsory process. For5:20the former representative who has5:21already lost his seat and a [music]5:22campaign, the seizure creates legal5:25exposure without a charging decision to5:26contest. Whether any charges will be5:29filed and on what specific facts,5:31whether the DC warrant will be filed5:33publicly, whether courts will unseal the5:35California affidavit, and how parallel5:38state investigations in Los Angeles and5:40Manhattan will relate to the federal5:41case remain unresolved while the5:43affidavit stays sealed.5:45Like and follow for more stories that5:47matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗