FBI agents took former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s phone and laptop at San Francisco International Airport on August 15 after he landed, then searched his Washington home the next day. The seizures were made under federal search warrants tied to a criminal investigation into multiple sexual misconduct and assault allegations. Swalwell resigned from Congress and dropped his California governor bid in April after the claims became public. He has not been charged or arrested.
Separately, the White House recently declassified older FBI documents showing Swalwell admitted in 2015 that he had physical relations with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, on several occasions between 2012 and 2015.
The files also describe her efforts to raise illegal straw donations and place interns in his office. That earlier counterintelligence probe was closed without charges after he was briefed and cut contact.
Jessica Bowie, a 35 year old Albany resident who converted to Islam and now goes by Aisha Saif, was arrested by the FBI after allegedly plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol to kill senators and destroy documents.
Court filings say she pledged allegiance to ISIS in audio recordings, celebrated the September 11 attacks, and communicated with undercover agents she believed were ISIS facilitators.
She conducted surveillance of the Capitol multiple times, planned to hide an explosive in a DoorDash bag, bought nails for shrapnel, and talked about escaping to Syria and later targeting the White House. On the day of her arrest she accepted an inert explosive and an inert handgun from undercover sources. She faces a federal charge of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
James O’Keefe went undercover at Anchorage polling places on Alaska’s primary day and presented himself as Brian Murkowski, the senator’s brother, without showing identification.
Poll workers told him voting was absolutely possible, found the name on the rolls, and offered a questioned provisional ballot under state law. A team member got the same response using the name of Murkowski’s state director.
O’Keefe said he did not check in or cast a ballot. Murkowski’s office called the impersonation a crime that should be prosecuted. O’Keefe and others have used the episode to highlight that Alaska allows provisional ballots without upfront ID and that Murkowski has opposed national legislation requiring proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote.
ICE issued a Notice of Intent to Fine against New York immigration attorney Suraj Raj Singh seeking the maximum civil penalty of $470,584. The agency says he prepared and filed 118 fraudulent documents across 54 asylum cases. The declarations were identical or nearly identical in language and claimed persecution details.
Singh’s practice primarily represents Indian nationals. The action is part of a broader Trump administration effort to hold immigration lawyers accountable for document fraud. Officials say fraudulent asylum claims clog the system, threaten public safety, and delay the removal of people who should not be here.
You already saw the stories. In the paid section I’m going to tell you what I actually think about them and why a few of these matter more than the headlines suggest.
The FBI taking his phone and laptop over sexual misconduct allegations is a serious development even without charges yet. Device seizures at the airport and a home search mean agents believe there is something worth examining under federal civil rights statutes. That process will play out.
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