Former Rep. Eric Swalwell was surrounded by FBI agents at San Francisco International Airport last month as they served a search warrant and seized his electronic devices, newly obtained surveillance footage reveals.
The California Post obtained the video of the Aug. 15 encounter, which shows Swalwell, 44, speaking with several agents at his flight gate while wearing a black sweatshirt. Travelers passed nearby as the former Democratic congressman appeared calm and cooperative throughout the encounter.
Agents served the warrant at approximately 8:25 p.m. And seized a white Apple iPhone, its charging cable and wall adapter, and an Apple MacBook Pro, according to an inventory filed with the warrant. The FBI left Swalwell with a copy of the warrant and an inventory of the property taken, records show.
The video does not show agents placing Swalwell under arrest, and he was reportedly allowed to leave after the search.
Agents executed additional warrants the following day at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C., home, where they seized other potential evidence, a source previously told The Post.
The FBI warrant used to seize Swalwell’s phone and laptop cited a federal civil-rights statute that can be used to prosecute public officials who abuse their government power. That citation suggests federal investigators may suspect Swalwell used his official role to silence women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
The Department of Justice opened an investigation into Swalwell in April as the former congressman faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. One former staffer has accused him of raping her when she was too intoxicated to consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Another woman has accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2018, while two others have alleged he sent them unsolicited images of his genitals.
The mounting allegations prompted Swalwell to end his campaign for California governor and resign from Congress on April 14 as he faced a looming House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged misconduct and sexual assault involving an employee under his supervision.
Swalwell, who is also the subject of a state ethics investigation, represented California in Congress for seven terms and previously served in local government and as a prosecutor. He also briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Swalwell and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
