Trump says Rep. Swalwell got caught ‘with hands in cookie jar’
Just before embattled Rep. Eric Swalwell announced Monday that he was resigning, President Trump told the Washington Times that the lawmaker was a “dangerous person” to serve in Congress.
“I take the view that, you know, you have to do what’s right,” Mr. Trump said in an exclusive interview as the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into the California Democrat. “You have to do what’s right. Swalwell has always been a very low-life character. He’s a basic low-life and it seems like they caught him with his hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.”
The president also said that Mr. Swalwell “is a very dangerous person to have in Congress, and besides, he was obviously dating a Chinese spy.”
The lawmaker has been linked to Christine Fang, an alleged Chinese intelligence agent who has targeted American politicians. She raised money for Mr. Swalwell’s campaign in 2014 before the FBI alerted her to its concerns.
Mr. Swalwell wrote on
Other lawmakers, including Reps. Cory Mills, Republican of Florida; Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas; and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat of Florida, are also being targeted by lawmakers for possible expulsion.
Asked if he was concerned that the many possible evictions could interfere with his legislative agenda, the president said Congress needs to “do what’s right. That’s all you can do. You know, every individual case is different.”
Republican and Democratic lawmakers said they would vote to expel Mr. Swalwell over allegations of sexual assault, which are being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The six-term lawmaker ended his bid for California governor Sunday night after party leaders demanded he leave the race. Mr. Swalwell resigned his House seat on Monday, hours after the Ethics Committee ruled against him.
Mr Swalwell disputes the allegations.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers could face similar scrutiny for their own alleged misdeeds.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, had said she would hold a vote to oust Mr. Swalwell this week and might combine it with a resolution to expel Mr. Gonzales.
Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick faces a rare ethics hearing and federal charges for using millions of dollars in disaster aid to finance her congressional campaigns. Mr. Mills is under investigation by the Ethics Committee for campaign finance violations, misuse of congressional office funds and allegations of sexual misconduct.
