Former congressman Eric Swalwell was approached by FBI agents at San Francisco International Airport, on August 15, 2026, and his cell phone and notebook were seized as part of a federal criminal investigation, according to newly obtained video.
Security footage of the meeting, which took place on August 15, 2026, shows for the first time the intense search carried out at the airport shortly after Swalwell arrived in California.
The video records Swalwell, who was wearing a hat, black hoodie and sneakers, talking to agents at the boarding gate as other passengers milled about. The former Democratic congressman demonstrated calm and cooperation during the interaction.
Former congressman Eric Swalwell and the FBI’s action at San Francisco airport
The recordings show Swalwell, carrying a backpack and a rolling suitcase, being accompanied by agents throughout San Francisco Airport. He was taken up an escalator and, later, to a corridor with access to a “restricted area”, where he entered a room with several people.
Agents served a search warrant on Swalwell around 8:25 p.m., seizing a white Apple iPhone, its charging cable and wall adapter, as well as an Apple MacBook Pro, according to the warrant inventory.
The FBI provided Swalwell with a copy of the warrant and an inventory of items collected, according to investigative records.
The video does not show Swalwell’s arrest, and there are reports that he was allowed to leave after the search was completed.
Agents served additional warrants the next day at Swalwell’s Washington, D.C. residence, where other materials considered potential evidence were seized, a source close to the case revealed.
The FBI warrant, which led to the seizure of Swalwell’s cellphone and laptop, invokes a federal civil rights statute. This legislation allows for prosecution of public officials who abuse their government authority, indicating that the feds may suspect that Swalwell used his official position to intimidate women who accused him of sexual misconduct. This underlines the seriousness with which authorities treat allegations of abuse of power involving public figures, seeking legal responsibility for misconduct.
A former employee accused Swalwell of rape, claiming she was too intoxicated to consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Another woman accused him of doping and sexually assaulting her in 2018, and two others alleged they received unsolicited images of his genitals.
Eric Swalwell has denied all allegations of inappropriate conduct.
The allegations led Swalwell to end his campaign for governor of California and resign from Congress on April 14 in the face of a looming House Ethics Committee investigation into misconduct and sexual assault involving a staffer under his supervision.
However, before ending his campaign, Swalwell’s lawyer sent a threatening letter to individuals accusing him of “nonconsensual sexual encounters,” warning that the then-congressman could sue them for defamation in connection with widespread rumors of inappropriate behavior with women on the internet.
