Versión Español
Spanish – The Democrats – with the support of a dozen Republicans – approved this Wednesday in the House of Representatives the beginning of the second political trial against President Donald Trump. Although impeachment – a week away from the change of government – is out of the question, the process can continue when the Republican leader is no longer in office. The purpose will no longer be to remove him from office but to disqualify him politically. But the controversy will no longer revolve only around the alleged crime of inciting “insurrection” attributed to Trump. Also on the table will be the controversy that discredits one of the nine administrators of the impeachment.
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, the epicenter of Chinese espionage in the United States due to his close relationship with a spy of Xi Jinping’s communist regime, is in charge of administering the trial. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, announced this on Tuesday night and published the list of the nine representatives in charge of administering the trial.
Tonight, I have the solemn privilege of naming the Managers of the impeachment trial of Donald Trump.@RepRaskin@RepDianaDeGette@RepCicilline@JoaquinCastrotx@RepSwalwell@RepTedLieu@StaceyPlaskett@RepDean@RepJoeNegusehttps://t.co/6yMWMEnBTW
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 13, 2021
The center of Chinese espionage
According to an Axios investigation, China’s main civilian espionage agency has been deploying an intelligence operation in the United States for almost a decade. The purpose was to develop extensive ties with local and national politicians, mostly in the state of California. And the main center of the spying was Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell.
The information points to a Chinese citizen by the name of Christine Fang, who not only worked for Swalwell but also had intimate relations with the congressman who is now conducting the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump. In other words, Trump’s future is -in part- in the hands of a person who maintained very close ties with a spy of the Chinese regime. During his term, Trump declared a trade war on Beijing and subsequently blamed the Chinese for the spread of the coronavirus.
“Fang participated in the fundraising activity for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign,” a US intelligence official told Axios. The information adds that the most worrying thing is that “Swalwell’s office was directly aware of these activities on his behalf.”
Federal Election Commission records did not indicate that Fang herself made donations, which are prohibited to foreign nationals. Additionally, the contributions detected did not qualify as illegal. Fang’s role would have been to help place at least one intern in Swalwell’s office. Further, she interacted with the congressman at multiple events over several years.
Christine used her position as president of these two campus organizations to branch out into local off-campus politics. Between 2013 and 2015, she experienced an almost meteoric rise in Bay Area politics, becoming a ubiquitous presence at fundraisers and other political events.
— Bethany 貝書穎 (@BethanyAllenEbr) December 8, 2020
Fang’s activities and behavior alarmed federal investigators so much that following counterintelligence work, they alerted Swalwell with what is known as a defensive briefing note. Swalwell immediately severed all ties with Fang, according to a U.S. intelligence official, and he has not been charged with any crime. For her part, the alleged Chinese spy left the country unexpectedly in mid-2015.
Demands for Swalwell’s resignation and declassification of files
Nancy Pelosi adds on her official website a profile of each of the nine people in charge of administering the trial. Eric Swalwell presents himself as a former prosecutor who has assumed his fifth term as a congressman. He is part of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Intelligence, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness. He is also a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Because of revelations about his past, many Republicans have called for Swalwell’s removal from the Intelligence Committee. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called for Swalwell’s resignation, stating that the “House Intelligence Committee is a special committee. The members on it have access to many of America’s top national security secrets. Long story short—There are 200 other Democrats who would be better to be on the Intel Committee than Eric Swalwell,” the Post Millennial reported.
On December 27, Donald Trump Jr., son of the current president of the United States, supported the idea of declassifying the report, which was put forward by the conservative commentator Mike Cernovich, according to the Post Millennial.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 26, 2020
Nancy Pelosi’s decision
In the face of this scandal, Nancy Pelosi has decided to defend Swalwell, stating that when Congress became aware of this situation, “any communication with that person was terminated.” For further controversy, she now names him for the administration of the impeachment against Donald Trump.
The impeachment process against the Republican was approved this Wednesday in the Lower House with 231 votes in favor and 197 against, while ten Republicans supporting the proposal. The next step is for the Senate. But Republican leader Mitch McConnell dismissed Trump’s impeachment, claiming that a “fair and serious” trial was not possible in just one week. He added that even if the Upper House immediately began the process, it would not give time for a final verdict to be issued before Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20. Moreover, the next session of the Senate is scheduled for January 19, just one day before the inauguration. However, the trial could continue after Trump departs from power. The ultimate goal is clearly one: to disable him to prevent future political aspirations.
