Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, August 17, and executed search warrants at his Washington, D.C. residence on Sunday, August 18, as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell resigned from Congress in April following these allegations.
Who reported it
- upi.comWIRE
- dailymail.comINDEP
- dailywire.comPARTISAN
- latimes.comINDEP
- npr.orgPUBLIC
References
- upi.comFBI seizes former Rep. Eric Swalwell's electronic devices amid probeOriginalNo durable copy — do not citecaptured 2026-08-21T11:19:52
- dailymail.comFBI agents confront Eric Swalwell at San Francisco Airport and seize his electronics as part of sexual misconduct investigationOriginalNo durable copy — do not citecaptured 2026-08-21T11:19:52
- dailywire.comFBI Surprises Eric Swalwell At Airport, Seizes Key EvidenceOriginalNo durable copy — do not citecaptured 2026-08-21T11:19:52
- latimes.comEric Swalwell briefly detained as feds seize his phone at San Francisco airport, source saysOriginalNo durable copy — do not citecaptured 2026-08-21T11:19:52
- npr.orgFederal agents seize devices from ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell in sexual misconduct probe, AP source saysOriginalNo durable copy — do not citecaptured 2026-08-21T11:19:52
Carried by multiple outlets
- FBI agents seized electronic devices from former Rep. Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport on Saturdayupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- Search warrants were executed at Swalwell's Washington, D.C. residence on Sundayupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- The seizures were related to a federal criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconductupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- Swalwell resigned from Congress in Aprilupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial raceupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- The allegations included sexual assault and sexual misconductupi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, latimes.com, npr.org
- and 2 more, not shown
Reported by one outlet only
- The search warrant at the airport was conducted at 8:25 p.m.only dailymail.com
- The search warrant filed on August 13 was filed under Section 242 of Title 18, which prohibits officials from abusing authority to deprive someone of constitutional rightsonly dailymail.com
- Swalwell's MacBook Pro, charging cable, and wall charger were seized during the airport searchonly dailymail.com
- The warrant was obtained by The San Francisco Standardonly dailymail.com
- Swalwell started his day Saturday in Washington before heading to the airportonly dailymail.com
- Swalwell maintains a residence in Washington with his wife and three childrenonly dailymail.com
Reported unevenly
- Whether Swalwell's conduct as a member of Congress is being pursued under civil rights law or under a general federal criminal statutestated by latimes.com states federal prosecutors are using civil rights law · absent from upi.com, dailymail.com, dailywire.com, npr.org do not specify the legal basis
Not yet confirmed against a primary source
- Daily Mail states the search warrant was 'filed under a federal statute (Section 242 of Title 18) which prohibits officials, including law enforcement, from abusing their authority to deprive someone of their constitutional rights' and adds 'though it is unclear how the law applies to Swalwell's case.' Confirm whether Section 242 is the actual statute cited in the warrant obtained by The San Francisco Standard, and whether Daily Mail's note about the unclear application represents the warrant language or Daily Mail's own editorial observation.
- LA Times states 'Federal prosecutors are using civil rights law to pursue an inquiry into his conduct as a member of Congress.' Confirm whether this refers to Section 242 of Title 18 (as Daily Mail references) or a different civil rights statute, and whether this information comes from sources or from the outlet's interpretation of the warrant.
What was checked, and against what
0 of 2 confirmed against a primary source. Every document is linked so you can read the same record we did. Anything not confirmed is listed as such rather than left out.
- not checkedDaily Mail states the search warrant was 'filed under a federal statute (Section 242 of Title 18) which prohibits officials, including law enforcement, from abusing their authority to deprive someone of their constitutional rights' and adds 'though it is unclear how the law applies to Swalwell's case.' Confirm whether Section 242 is the actual statute cited in the warrant obtained by The San Francisco Standard, and whether Daily Mail's note about the unclear application represents the warrant language or Daily Mail's own editorial observation.would be answered by Official sources, general search
- not checkedLA Times states 'Federal prosecutors are using civil rights law to pursue an inquiry into his conduct as a member of Congress.' Confirm whether this refers to Section 242 of Title 18 (as Daily Mail references) or a different civil rights statute, and whether this information comes from sources or from the outlet's interpretation of the warrant.would be answered by Official sources, general search