FBI Seizes Devices, Searches Home of Ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell in Sexual‑misconduct Probe

Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at a San Francisco airport and then executed a search warrant at his Washington, D.C., home, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to news organizations. The actions were described as part of an ongoing federal probe into allegations of sexual misconduct. No charges have been announced.

The seizure and search were first reported by the Associated Press and have since been corroborated by national outlets. Sources in those reports said the FBI carried out the device seizure when Swalwell landed and executed the D.C. warrant the following day; the FBI declined to comment to reporters and Swalwell’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN that a former aide had accused him of sexual assault; he has denied the allegations. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and at least one county law-enforcement agency had earlier opened related inquiries, and the AP and other outlets said the federal action appears to mark an escalation of investigative activity.

Legal experts emphasize that executing a warrant and seizing devices do not themselves establish criminal guilt. A federal search warrant typically aims to preserve evidence — including communications and records stored on phones, laptops or cloud accounts — while prosecutors evaluate whether to bring charges. The reports say agents took electronic devices, which could be for forensic review.

Swalwell is a high‑profile former member of Congress who served on Judiciary and Intelligence committees and was briefly a candidate for California governor before resigning. His prior removal from the House Intelligence Committee over concerns about contacts with a suspected foreign agent has already made him a polarizing figure, and the new federal activity is likely to draw sharp scrutiny from both parties.

Because Swalwell had left office, the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction had effectively ended when he resigned; a federal criminal investigation proceeds under different rules and is handled by prosecutors and the FBI. Federal and local prosecutors can coordinate investigations, and seizure of devices may reflect parallel lines of inquiry across jurisdictions.

The reporting so far relies on unnamed sources familiar with the investigation; officials have not released detailed public statements. That reporting pattern — media outlets citing law‑enforcement sources while prosecutors remain largely silent — is common in active criminal inquiries and means facts could change as prosecutors decide whether to file charges or to close the matter.