The Air Marshals Keeping Watch On Eric Swalwell

O n August 8 , former Representative Eric Swalwell boarded a United Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Washington, D.C.

He didn’t know it, but federal agents were watching him throughout the nine-hour trip.

The FBI had asked the Federal Air Marshal Service to covertly monitor Swalwell on board and to watch him use his electronic devices, to see whether its officers could visually ascertain his passcodes, according to records I obtained that have not previously been reported on.

Air marshals are trained to blend in with other passengers and quietly keep tabs on their subjects, who are usually suspected terrorists or potential hijackers, not politicians.

But Swalwell is an enemy of sorts to the Trump administration.

For years, the Democrat has been one of Donald Trump’s most visible political antagonists, having served as a manager in the president’s second impeachment trial.

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has called Swalwell a “scumbag” on national television.

And FBI Director Kash Patel, the leader of the agency that wanted Swalwell monitored, described him as one of the “corrupt actors of the first order” in his 2023 book, Government Gangsters .

The directive for air-marshal surveillance said that Swalwell was the “focus” of an FBI investigation, but it didn’t provide additional details.

Law enforcement has good reason to investigate the 45-year-old.

This past spring, a former staff member accused Swalwell of twice raping her while she was intoxicated.

A woman in California accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her after he’d promised to assist with her career.

Three more women have accused Swalwell of making unwanted advances and sending them lewd text messages, including nude pictures of himself.

Swalwell has denied the allegations, but authorities in Los Angeles and Manhattan have opened a criminal investigation.