USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapFBI Searches Stephen Cloobeck’s Beverly Hills Mansion Tied To Eric Swalwell Investigation
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FBI searched a Beverly Hills mansion connected to former Rep. Eric Swalwell. The property is owned by Swalwell donor Stephen Cloobeck.
25 outlets told this the same way.
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Beverly Hills search warrant
Federal agents searched a Beverly Hills mansion tied to former Rep. Eric Swalwell as part of an investigation, and the FBI confirmed the search while saying the court documents are sealed.
The search unfolded on Roxbury Drive near Benedict Canyon Drive around 7 a.m., and ABC reported that the home belongs to billionaire and former California gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck.
AP reported that agents searched Cloobeck’s home, where Swalwell spent time before resigning from office in April, and AP said Swalwell denied criminal wrongdoing.
The FBI ran “an operation in the Los Angeles region related to an ongoing criminal investigation,” but declined to comment further, and CNN said it reached out to a lawyer for Swalwell for comment.
Earlier federal actions
Federal agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport in August and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part of an ongoing probe connected to sexual assault allegations. AP said Tuesday’s search was the latest escalation in the federal investigation of Swalwell, and AP said the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN first reported allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice.
Fox 11 Los Angeles said the FBI executed the raid at roughly 6 a.m. local time with at least two dozen agents participating, and Fox 11 Los Angeles said several people were taken out of the house in handcuffs but were all released soon after. Fox 11 Los Angeles also said Swalwell wrote, “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me,” and Fox 11 Los Angeles said he added, “However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”
Legal and political stakes
The FBI search in Beverly Hills landed after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department opened criminal investigations into Swalwell in the wake of reporting on sexual misconduct allegations, and AP said Bragg’s office encouraged “survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division.” AP said Swalwell was one of Republican President Donald Trump’s top Democratic antagonists in Congress, and AP said Swalwell served on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees during Trump’s first term.
Swalwell faced renewed scrutiny after the White House declassified documents related to an FBI probe into his relationship with Christine "Fang Fang" Fang, and Swalwell told FBI agents he had “physical relations” with Fang on a handful of occasions. Swalwell left office in April after being threatened with expulsion from the House before his exit, and Swalwell wrote at the time, “I will fight the serious false allegations made against me.”