U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) attends a House Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel (not pictured), on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
(Los Angeles, California) – California Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing a political firestorm as two major controversies collide, questions over whether he even lives in California, and fresh reports that his gubernatorial campaign took nearly $15,000 tied to the Chinese Communist Party.
A court complaint filed in Sacramento by conservative activist Joel Gilbert claims Swalwell is ineligible to run for governor because public records show no California residence. The address listed in campaign filings, Gilbert says, is his lawyer’s office, not a home, potentially violating California’s five-year residency requirement.
At the same time, Fox News reports Swalwell’s campaign accepted $9,999 from the Silicon Valley office of DeHeng Law Offices, a Beijing-linked firm, plus $5,000 from a Chinese national partner at the firm. Critics say the donations raise alarms about foreign influence in a race for the state’s top job.
The revelations revive scrutiny of Swalwell’s past ties to Christine Fang (also known as Fang Fang), the Chinese operative who fundraised for his campaign and placed an intern in his Washington office before U.S. intelligence flagged her activities. Swalwell later said he cut ties.
Swalwell- often mentioned as a potential successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, has not responded to the residency claim or the donation backlash.
If the court agrees with the challenge, Swalwell could be knocked off the ballot, turning a governor’s run into a full-blown scandal over where he lives and who’s funding him.
