Swalwell Spy Lover Fang Fang Is Gone But Her Pipeline To D.C. Isn’t

News admin September 2, 2026 0 Comments

Swalwell Spy Lover Fang Fang Is Gone But Her Pipeline To D.C. Isn’t

The suspected Chinese intelligence operative who had a sexual relationship with former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell also used her position in a nonprofit to help place interns in American political offices, which the organization continues to do.

Fang “Christine” Fang became president of a chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), the nonprofit through which she met and cultivated relationships with Swalwell and other politicians. According to previous reporting, Fang helped place at least one intern in Swalwell’s congressional office. Now, APAPA says its internship program has grown substantially, with “hundreds of legislators and public officials” hosting and mentoring its student interns.

The organization currently maintains a list of internship-hosting offices that includes numerous members of Congress, among them Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), and others. APAPA also says its internship program is designed to develop the next generation of civic leaders.

National security experts say the organization’s connections to Chinese Communist Party-linked figures warrant scrutiny, particularly given Fang’s role in using the organization to develop political relationships. “Public officials should strongly scrutinize any APAPA efforts that align with CCP objectives,” Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, a nonprofit focused on countering Chinese Communist Party threats, told the New York Post.

FBI records show Swalwell told investigators that he considered Fang his primary point of contact with the organization. Swalwell told the FBI in 2015 that he had “physical relations” with Fang “on a handful of occasions” after meeting her in 2012, shortly before he was elected to Congress. He said the relationship was casual and that they never dated, although he believed Fang wanted a closer romantic relationship. Fang also helped raise money for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign and assisted in placing an intern in his congressional office.

U.S. intelligence officials subsequently concluded that Fang was operating as part of a Chinese political intelligence operation. She had cultivated relationships with a number of rising politicians in California and elsewhere, including at least two Midwestern mayors with whom she reportedly had sexual or romantic relationships. The FBI ultimately warned Swalwell about Fang. He said he cut ties with her after receiving the defensive briefing. Fang left the United States in 2015.

Fang has never been charged with a crime in the United States, and investigators did not accuse Swalwell of knowingly participating in a Chinese intelligence operation. The House Ethics Committee also closed its investigation into Swalwell’s relationship with Fang without taking further action.

However, Fang’s former organization remains active in American politics. APAPA’s website currently advertises an internship program through which students are placed with elected officials and government offices. The group’s current internship-hosting list includes dozens of elected officials and government entities, ranging from congressional offices to state and local governments.

The organization’s leadership has also attracted scrutiny because of its connections to Henry Yin, its longtime national leader. Yin, who currently serves on APAPA’s national governing board and previously served as its national chair, has extensive ties to Chinese-American civic and business organizations, according to the Post. Chinese state-controlled media have described him as an overseas Chinese leader in California and Silicon Valley, and he has traveled to China to promote American investment and discuss his experiences as an overseas Chinese in the United States.

Yin has also been publicly associated with Rep. Ro Khanna, who serves as ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Khanna described Yin in 2019 as his “Senior Advisor on Foreign Trade and Economic Development,” although Khanna’s office now says Yin never held a formal role with the congressman.

APAPA likewise said its current national leadership has no information that Fang ever held an authorized role with the organization, despite her documented involvement with an APAPA chapter.