Pelosi defends Swalwell, says Congress should fight "undue Chinese influence"
China,National Security,Democratic Party,Eric Swalwell
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday she doesn't have "any concern" about Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), after an Axios investigation revealed the congressman was targeted by a suspected Chinese spy seeking to gain access to U.S. political circles up until 2015.
Driving the news: Pelosi called for closer examination of Chinese activities "in terms of their undue influence at universities in our country and the overtures they've tried to make to members of Congress," but stopped short of saying that lawmakers should run background checks on everyone they work with.
Swalwell is not accused of wrongdoing and says he immediately cut off ties with the suspected operative, Christine Fang, when alerted by the FBI in 2015.
Related Coverage
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
DOJ Says Chinese Hackers Targeted US Federal Agencies
August 26th, 2026
Headline Roundup
Meta Agrees to New Facebook, Instagram Limits for Teens in $18 Million Settlement
August 26th, 2026
Bias
Announcing Version 12 of the AllSides Media Bias Chart — See What’s Changed
AllSides
August 25th, 2026
Announcement
The AllSides Student Journalism Award Opens Sept. 1
AllSides Staff
August 24th, 2026