When it comes to claims of Russian collusion (fake or real), the liberal media have proven to be all ears. But when it comes to the ever-growing threat from China, they’re far less interested. Whether it’s due to their corporate interests, the Communist Party’s tilt, or something else, the outrage was almost non-existent.
So, it was unsurprising to see how the major broadcast network newscasts refused on Tuesday to acknowledge a bombshell Axios story chronicling how a Chinese spy named Christine Fang “developed extensive ties with local and national politicians, including a U.S. congressman, in what U.S. officials believe was a political intelligence operation run by China’s main civilian spy agency between 2011 and 2015.” That congressman? Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Thankfully, the Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson not only covered this in his opening monologue, but went further by stating that “U.S. intelligence officials believe that Fang had a sexual relationship with [Swalwell]” and that his team contacted Swalwell’s office seeking comment on all of the allegations.
But instead of offering ardent denials, Tucker said that Swalwell’s team “couldn't comment on whether or not Swalwell had a sexual relationship with Fang because such information might be ‘classified.’”
Carlson’s monologue started with the reality of how “[t]he defining characteristic of our ruling class in this country is narcissism” and “talk[ing] almost exclusively about themselves, about their limitless neuroses, their so-called privilege, their guilt about that privilege, their ‘identity.’”
Carlson used that as a jumping-off point to note how China’s being “watching” us “carefully” as it’s kept its focus on their “goal” of “knocking us from their perch” as the world’s leading superpower (with a recap of his Monday monologue).
He then brought up the Axios story, its findings about Fang, and her connection to the Russian collusion-touting congressman (click “expand”):
When China interferes, it's not a story. They don't care. That may be why so many news outlets ignored another blockbuster story about China, one that just broke today. This story comes from Axios in Washington, which is no one's idea of a right-wing news outlet. But to their great credit, a pair of Axios reporters doggedly spent the last year investigating what turned out to be an amazing story. A Chinese intelligence agent called Fang Fang — or, as she renamed herself when she came to this country, Christine Fang — became a force within the Democratic Party of California. Along the way, she cultivated a number of Democrat officeholders. Fang had sexual relationships with at least two of them, identified in the Axios story as Midwestern cities. Fang began a relationship with a man called Eric Swalwell. You may recognize that name. Eric Swalwell is a member of the United States Congress. Swalwell sits on the House Intelligence Committee. He is privy to this country's most closely held secrets. Fang's relationship with Swalwell began in 2012. Like so many Chinese spies, Fung used college as her cover. She enrolled as a student at a university in the Bay Area, and she immediately joined a number of left-wing identity politics organizations on campus. From there, she quite naturally began raising money for Democratic candidates.
U.S. intelligence officials believe that Fang had a sexual relationship with Eric Falwell —Swalwell. We asked Swalwell's office about that directly today. His staff replied by saying they couldn't comment on whether or not Swalwell had a sexual relationship with Fang because such information might be "classified." They did not elaborate or explain what they meant by that. We do know that when Fang met Swalwell, he was a little-known city councilman in the Bay Area, but he had grand political aspirations. Fang became his regular companion. She was photographed with Swalwell at political events several times. She became a financial bundler for his political campaigns. Fang apparently pulled in large amounts of money from a variety of sources to help Eric Swalwell get elected to Congress. It's not entirely clear where all of that money came from. We do know that Fang helped Swalwell secure the support of his district's Asian-American community, which political analysts have cited as a critical factor in his win in 2012....Fang gained access to Swalwell's office in Washington. U.S. officials say Fang even managed to install an intern, almost certainly as a spy for the Chinese government.
After noting “[t]he irony is overwhelming” and “[i]t’s always those who have the most to hide who attack other people for the very things they've done,” Carlson offered more soundbites of Swalwell ironically discussing foreign influence (such as sex) during the March 2017 hearing with former FBI Director Jim Comey.
“Oh, it's part of the playbook. Part of the Kremlin playbook, Eric Swalwell says. What they do, these foreign intel services, they use sex, a honey trap, if you will, to set up a compromise. Uh-huh. Spoken like a man who knows that subject quite well,” Carlson quipped.
Carlson closed with tweets from Swalwell defending China over the coronavirus, its ally North Korea, and Iran before asking a rhetorical question:
Do you notice a pattern here? Of course you do. And here's the amazing thing: As of tonight, with all of this information public, Eric Swalwell — who has used his office to promote Beijing's talking points almost word for word — ones that matter, by the way — a man who admits to a close personal relationship with an actual Chinese spy who helped him get elected to Congress, raised money for him and put an intern — probably another spy — in his office — that man continues to serve on the House Intelligence Committee, where he has unrestricted access to classified information. How is this happening?
Seeing as how Swalwell’s been such a trusted ally and guest of the liberal networks, it’s doubtful they’ll cross him and give this disturbing story the light of day.
To see the relevant FNC transcript from December 8, click “expand.”
FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight
December 8, 2020
8:00 p.m. EasternTUCKER CARLSON: The defining characteristic of our ruling class in this country is narcissism. The people in charge talk almost exclusively about themselves, about their limitless neuroses, their so-called privilege, their guilt about that privilege, their “identity.” No matter what they're saying, it's always all about them. And, like most self-centered people, they have no perspective on the rest of the world. If you listened to our strictly-moderated national conversation, you would think the single greatest crisis this country faces is the passing of a convicted felon from Minneapolis called George Floyd. That's our main challenge. They literally told us that for months. So America's frame of reference has shrunk to the point that we can only see ourselves, and, of course, the rest of the world knows that. They’ve been watching carefully, especially China. China knows that our self-involvement is their opportunity. While our elites have been busy lecturing us about white fragility and trans rights, the Chinese government has remained deadly serious. Chinaese leaders aren't frivolous and stupid like our leaders are. They don't care what pronouns you use. They don’t hire people because of the way they look. They have a goal — very specific goal. They’re very highly focused on it: That goal is knocking us from their perch. That goal is winning and they are. Over the past decade, China has made stunning progress in its attempt to dethrone the United States from its global position of leadership, our position. China's economy will soon surpass ours in size. And at some point, so will its military strength. To accelerate this, the Chinese communist party has engaged in a ceaseless effort to subvert our leadership class, the people who run the united States. And that has worked more effectively than anyone imagined. Last night, we showed you proof. We played a clip of a Chinese professor speaking on camera in front of a live audience explaining how deeply his country's intelligence services have penetrated our government and our business establishments. This video was recorded just over a week ago. Watch the subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
CHINESE PROFESSOR [English subtitles]: Why, between 1992 and 2016, did China and the U.S. use to be able to settle all kinds of issues? [SCREEN WIPE] It's just because we have people at the top. At the top of America's core inner circle of power and influence, we have our old friends.
CARLSON: “We have people at the top, at the top of America's core inner circle of power and influence.” Well, of course, that means the government. It means Wall Street. It also means the media and the tech company that distribute the media's product. And that may be why you didn't hear anything about this video elsewhere on television today. CNN claims to be an international network. They ignored it. So did MSNBC and the broadcast networks. Not a word about it. So much for their purported concern about foreign interference in our democracy. When China interferes, it's not a story. They don't care. That may be why so many news outlets ignored another blockbuster story about China, one that just broke today. This story comes from Axios in Washington, which is no one's idea of a right-wing news outlet. But to their great credit, a pair of Axios reporters doggedly spent the last year investigating what turned out to be an amazing story. A Chinese intelligence agent called Fang Fang — or, as she renamed herself when she came to this country, Christine Fang — became a force within the Democratic Party of California. Along the way, she cultivated a number of Democrat officeholders. Fang had sexual relationships with at least two of them, identified in the Axios story as midwestern cities. Fang began a relationship with a man called Eric Swalwell. You may recognize that name. Eric Swalwell is a member of the United States Congress. Swalwell sits on the House Intelligence Committee. He is privy to this country's most closely held secrets. Fang's relationship with Swalwell began in 2012. Like so many Chinese spies, Fung used college as her cover. She enrolled as a student at a university in the Bay Area, and she immediately joined a number of left-wing identity politics organizations on campus. From there, she quite naturally began raising money for Democratic candidates. U.S. intelligence officials believe that Fang had a sexual relationship with Eric Falwell —Swalwell. We asked Swalwell's office about that directly today. His staff replied by saying they couldn't comment on whether or not Swalwell had a sexual relationship with Fang because such information might be "classified." They did not elaborate or explain what they meant by that. We do know that when Fang met Swalwell, he was a little-known city councilman in the Bay Area, but he had grand political aspirations. Fang became his regular companion. She was photographed with Swalwell at political events several times. She became a financial bundler for his political campaigns. Fang apparently pulled in large amounts of money from a variety of sources to help Eric Swalwell get elected to Congress. It's not entirely clear where all of that money came from. We do know that Fang helped Swalwell secure the support of his district's Asian-American community, which political analysts have cited as a critical factor in his win in 2012. That’s not a new trick for Chinese intelligence services. Another Democrat from the State of California, the state's senior Democrat, Senator Diane Feinstein, employed a Chinese spy in her office for nearly 20 years. That spy drove Feinstein around and directly assisted her in outreach to Asian-American voters. Like the spy that Feinstein hired, Fang gained access to Swalwell's office in Washington. U.S. officials say Fang even managed to install an intern, almost certainly as a spy for the Chinese government. Now, we don't know the full extent of Fang's intelligence activities in this country. Eventually, she fled the U.S. for China while under FBI investigation. Swalwell claims he hasn't talked to her in years. We do know that in Eric Swalwell, the Chinese government picked a promising vehicle. Swalwell is one of the most high-profile members of Congress. Last year, he ran for president of the United States. At every turn, Swalwell has remained a reliable source of Chinese government propaganda. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, he's styled himself as an expert at spotting foreign interference in our government, remarkably. As you may remember he spent years accusing President Trump of working for a hostile power.
CONGRESSMAN ERIC SWALWELL [on CNN’s AC360, 01/14/19]: The question has shifted from whether the president is working with the Russians to what evidence exists that the President is not working with the Russians. [on PBS’s Firing Line, 01/25/19] He’s betrayed our country. I don't — I don’t say that lightly. I worked as a prosecutor for seven years. And I —
MARGARET HOOVER [on PBS’s Firing Line, 01/25/19]: But betraying a country — by the way, we want evidence before you say that, but you said an agent of Russia.
SWALWELL [on PBS’s Firing Line, 01/25/19]: Yeah. He works on their behalf.
MARTHA MACCALLUM [on FNC’s The Story, 03/26/19]: Do you still believe that the President is a Russian agent?
SWALWELL [on FNC’s The Story, 03/26/19]: I think he acts on Russia's behalf and he puts Russia's interests ahead too often of America's interests.
CHRIS MATTHEWS [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 01/18/19]: You are a member of the judiciary. Do you believe the President right now has been an agent of the Russians?
SWALWELL [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 01/18/19]: Yes, I think there is more evidence than it isn’t.
MATTHEWS [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 01/18/19]: An agent?
SWALWELL [on MSNBC’s Hardball, 01/18/19]: Yes. And I think all the arrows point in that direction. I haven’t seen a single piece of evidence that he`s not.
CARLSON: Looking back, it's hard to watch that tape. The irony is overwhelming. It's always those who have the most to hide who attack other people for the very things they've done. Always. Even at the time he was saying that, it was very obvious to us that something was very wrong with Eric Swalwell. So, two years ago, we asked Swalwell to come on this show and reveal the evidence he claimed to had collected on Russian collusion. Swalwell came, couldn't turn down a TV opportunity. He made loud noises and he left. He had no evidence, but he didn't stop making allegations. Here he is at a hearing with Jim Comey back in 2017.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: I want to talk about the Kremlin playbook, and there are a number of ways that a foreign adversary can seek to influence a person. Do you agree with that?”
JIM COMEY [on 03/20/17]: Yes.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: Financial?
COMEY [on 03/20/17]: Yes, that can be one.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: Romance, you said, is another.
COMEY [on 03/20/17]: Yes.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: Compromise.
COMEY [on 03/20/17]: Correct.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: Setting up a compromise.
COMEY [on 03/20/17]: Sure, to execute on a compromise, yes.
SWALWELL [on 03/20/17]: How about inadvertently capturing a compromise? Meaning they have vast surveillance and you stumble into that surveillance and are caught in the compromise?
COMEY [on 03/20/17]: And then they take that information and try to use it to coerce you? Yeah, that's part of the play book.
CARLSON: Oh, it's part of the playbook. Part of the Kremlin playbook, Eric Swalwell says. What they do, these foreign intel services, they use sex, a honey trap, if you will, to set up a compromise. Uh-huh. Spoken like a man who knows that subject quite well. When the Russia hoax subsided, as it inevitably did because it was a lie, Swalwell turned his energies to his first love, which was defending the government of China from all criticism. In March, Swalwell told the rest of us that we are racist if we describe where the coronavirus came from originally. He said this on Twitter: “When lawmakers refer to #COVID 19 as a ‘Chinese’ virus, they are not only misleading the public about a disease with confirmed cases in over 100 countries, they are stoking racism & xenophobia in our communities. Diseases don’t have an ethnicity. Period.” So, if you're bored sometime, take those words and type them into Google and you will find analogues, almost precisely to the word, in Chinese state media. That's what he was repeating. If you ask Eric Swalwell, blaming the Chinese government for the coronavirus was a mistake. The right reproach is to defer to the Chinese government as much as you possibly can. In 2017, Swalwell expressed outrage that the Trump administration was taking too tough a position with China's ally, North Korea. He wrote this: “The President’s reckless & inconsistent #NorthKorea strategy risks American lives.” Instead, Swalwell demanded, Trump must “[t]alk to experts, allies, & China.” Swalwell had been saying similar things for years. In 2013, for example, he demanded that we, “engage China & Russia to keep Iran nuclear free.” Do you notice a pattern here? Of course you do. And here's the amazing thing: As of tonight, with all of this information public, Eric Swalwell — who has used his office to promote Beijing's talking points almost word for word — ones that matter, by the way — a man who admits to a close personal relationship with an actual Chinese spy who helped him get elected to Congress, raised money for him and put an intern — probably another spy — in his office — that man continues to serve on the House Intelligence Committee, where he has unrestricted access to classified information. How is this happening?
