After abruptly leaving the United States a decade ago, the Chinese operative served as Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-CA) personal assistant and staffer. Her cover was compromised when she posted a photo with a Global Times reporter on Facebook, prompting the FBI to alert Swalwell about her true identity.
Swalwell disclosed, “I had lunch with this woman today. Hu XiJin mentioned her name as Fang Fang, known in the U.S. media as a suspected Chinese spy. She was also linked to the Democratic Party in San Francisco Bay and had connections in the Midwest.”
Hu asserted that Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang in the U.S., was unfairly targeted by American journalists and that federal national security agencies failed to recruit her.
I had lunch with this lady today. Her name is Fang Fang, and US media called her a “suspected Chinese spy.”
🔹In 2009, she went to study in 🇺🇸and did a lot of work to promote personnel exchanges between China & US in those years.
🔹In 2015, the CIA & FBI approached her, asked… pic.twitter.com/m0AbtXYxPI— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) March 13, 2024
He claimed the situation started innocuously. According to the Global Times, the U.S. had dashed Fang Fang’s aspirations. Notably, the Global Times is a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party.
Hu stated, “In 2009, she studied in the U.S. During her time there, she actively facilitated exchanges between China and the U.S.”
Hu alleged that in 2015, the FBI and CIA approached Fang Fang, offering her U.S. citizenship and $1,000,000 to work for them under threat of reprisal if she refused.
According to Axios, the FBI briefed Swalwell about a “defensive briefing,” a customary gesture wherein the FBI informs an individual about concerns regarding their associations with foreign entities. Notably, this courtesy was not extended to Donald J. Trump or his associates during the Russia investigation, as their interactions were deemed fabricated.
Smart ass @JohnLeFevre https://t.co/fQU3AqcnAE
— Christine Fang (@FangFang_ca) November 14, 2023
After Swalwell severed ties with Fang Fang, she left the U.S. and missed a scheduled event in Washington.
Per Politico, Swalwell claimed to be the target of a Trump administration operation.
Hu reported that Fang Fang’s encounter with the FBI coincided with Swalwell’s defensive briefing. Hu stated, “Three days after her encounter with the FBI, Fang Fang returned to China, citing loyalty to her homeland. ‘I refuse to betray my country,’ she affirmed. ‘I won’t collaborate against the United States. That’s my principle.'”
Fang Fang eventually conceded that her American Dream had come to an end.
CNN’s John LeFever reported Fang Fang’s death in a plane crash on November 11, which Fang Fang confirmed via her social media account.
In January 2023, Speaker Kevin O. McCarthy (R-CA) removed Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee when Republicans gained control of the House. Swalwell retained his committee appointments but criticized former special counsel Robert Hur over his decision not to prosecute President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for mishandling classified information, according to RedState’s Nick Arama
