If a Republican congressman was accused of having a sexual relationship with a foreign intelligence asset, you bet the liberal media would have a field day. But as NewsBusters has shown, naughty California Democrat Eric Swalwell was getting off easy after revelations he had such a relationship with a Chinese spy. And despite the new push from Congressional Republicans to removing him from the House Intelligence Committee, the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) continued to keep curtains closed.
Fortunately, Fox News National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin was on the case during Tuesday’s Special Report.
“Republican lawmakers are demanding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remove Congressman Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee following revelations he was targeted by a suspected Chinese spy who helped him fundraise for his 2014 congressional campaign,” she reported
Fox News apparently spoke with a source in the FBI who confirmed that Swalwell was made aware of the fact he was in a relationship with the Chinese spy, Fang Fang. “In 2015, Swalwell was named to the Intelligence Committee, the same year the FBI warned him he was being targeted by a Chinese spy,” Griffin said. “Swalwell fully cooperated with the FBI and was never suspected of any wrongdoing according to an FBI source.”
Adding: “Six Republicans have asked FBI Director Christopher Wray for a full briefing on China's spying operations inside the U.S. Congressman Jim Banks who signed the letter to Pelosi says China's influence operations go be on Capitol Hill.”
With the liberal media collectively suppressing Swalwell’s sex scandal, anchor Bret Baier called them out during the panel discussion later in the program. “Mollie, you wouldn’t know this story if you watched some places, but Republicans are saying that this is serious and that Swalwell should be taken off the Intelligence Committee while this investigation is ongoing,” he said to Federalist editor Mollie Hemingway.
“That's absolutely right that the media has not been covering this as they should. I think The New York Times still hasn't told its readers about Eric Swalwell being compromised in this way,” she noted. Hemingway also called out the media for having a habit of protecting the murderous Chinese government:
I think one of the reasons why the media hasn't covered this like they should have is that the media themselves are one of the institutions that seems to be compromised by China. They are afraid of -- they either support China or they’re afraid of being in China's crosshairs. And this makes it even more difficult for the American people to really learn what’s at risk here.
She had a point. ABC News was owned by Disney, CBS News by ViacomCBS, and NBC News by NBCUniversal. Each of those media companies had subscription streaming services they desperately wanted to promote in the Chinese market. And with the Chinese government holding the keys to the kingdom, they needed to play nice so they could line their pockets with blood money.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
December 15, 2020
6:11:02 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: Break tonight, the President’s national security advisor cutting short a European trip to deal with Russia and a major cyber-attack and hack on the U.S. This comes as Republicans in Congress are asking the FBI for information about Chinese espionage in the U.S. National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the latest night from the Pentagon.
[Cuts to video]
JENNIFER GRIFFIN: Republican lawmakers are demanding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remove Congressman Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee following revelations he was targeted by a suspected Chinese spy who helped him fundraise for his 2014 congressional campaign.
Quote, "His close interactions with Chinese intelligence services, however unintentional they may be, are an unacceptable national security risk.”
In 2015, Swalwell was named to the Intelligence Committee, the same year the FBI warned him he was being targeted by a Chinese spy. Swalwell fully cooperated with the FBI and was never suspected of any wrongdoing according to an FBI source.
He's not alone, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii along with several Midwestern mayors were also targeted. Separately, GOP leaders in San Diego were targeted by political donors with ties to the Chinese government in 2017.
Six Republicans have asked FBI Director Christopher Wray for a full briefing on China's spying operations inside the U.S. Congressman Jim Banks who signed the letter to Pelosi says China's influence operations go be on Capitol Hill.
REP. JIM BANKS (R-IN): We've seen professional sports teams, the NBA, we've seen figures in Hollywood -- the difference between all of them and Eric Swalwell is that Eric Swalwell is a member of congress who’s privy to highly classified intelligence that he’s regularly briefed on by the House Intelligence Committee.
(…)
6:51:12 p.m. Eastern
BAIER: Talking about Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and his relationship with this woman believed to be a Chinese spy. We are back with the panel. Mollie, you wouldn’t know this story if you watched some places, but Republicans are saying that this is serious and that Swalwell should be taken off the Intelligence Committee while this investigation is ongoing.
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY: That's absolutely right that the media has not been covering this as they should. I think The New York Times still hasn't told its readers about Eric Swalwell being compromised in this way.
China does target a lot of people, they have overly advanced spying operation. So, it's not just a problem that Democrats are dealing with. What is so disconcerting about this particular situation is that the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence really should’ve been spending a lot of time on this threat. That’s kind of what they exist for.
And every time in the previous years that Devin Nunes or Republicans trying to focus on China, the hearings were hijacked by Democrats whether it was Swalwell or Schiff to talk about Russia and the Russia collusion host.
Russia is also a bad actor and needs oversight as well. But we really have not done what we need to do with China given how successful they have been in various hacking and spying operations in recent years. And they have really gotten a lot of control.
I think one of the reasons why the media hasn't covered this like they should have is that the media themselves are one of the institutions that seems to be compromised by China. They are afraid of -- they either support China or they’re afraid of being in China's crosshairs. And this makes it even more difficult for the American people to really learn what’s at risk here.
(…)
