Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) was confronted on a New York radio show about his past connections to a Chinese spy.

In 2020, an Axios report exposed espionage operations by Christine Fang, aka Fang Fang, who took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell during his 2014 re-election campaign. Swalwell was not charged with any wrongdoing and cut ties with her. However, the rumor mill has since swirled about his possible relationship with the spy.

'I recognize that it's everyone on the right's favorite meme.'

Podcaster and radio host Charlamagne tha God, real name Lenard McKelvey, casually brought up the spy scandal during an interview on "The Breakfast Club," with Swalwell casually brushing off the claims.

"Did the Chinese spy scandal hurt your credibility, or did Republicans just weaponize a nothing-burger, so to speak?" Charlamagne asked nonchalantly.

Swalwell quickly appealed to authority over the question and blamed disinformation.

"You know, the fact that the FBI and the House Ethics Committee said it was bulls**t. Like, I would hope that would be enough, but, like, in a disinformation society, like, I recognize that it's everyone on the right's favorite meme."

Swalwell said it is an "honor" to have Republicans take shots at his character since, according to his wife, "the second they're not going after you, you're not effective."

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"I wear it as a badge of honor that these guys would want to lie about me all the time because I think it means that I'm landing punches politically on them that sting," the congressman stated.

His claims did not stop there, however.

Swalwell went on to make incredibly bizarre assertions about the GOP, perhaps even more bizarre than his claims that Republicans support people getting cancer.

"I think a lot of Republicans look at me as like, oh, that's a straight, white, Christian male, son of a cop. Like, everyone else like him looks like me. So when he comes at me, it's more of a betrayal to them," Swalwell mumbled out.

"Oh, wow," Charlamagne reacted.

Swalwell added, "I've heard that from them on their side; that's why they take it so personally."

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). Photo by AL DRAGO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Blaze News Capitol Hill reporter Rebeka Zeljko said the reason Swalwell is unpopular is not because "other white men view him as a race traitor" but because "his values are terrible."

Zeljko continued, "Swalwell incorrectly assumes that white men operate as a monolith, prioritizing identity over ideology. He also fails to recognize the irony in saying, ‘The second they’re not going after you, you're not effective,’ as if the Democratic Party has not dedicated the better part of a decade to going after President Trump."

While rumors have persisted about Swalwell for years, a mix-up of facts may be responsible for misconceptions rather than simple "misinformation."

As the Axios report revealed, Fang Fang had sexual or romantic relationships with at least two mayors of Midwestern cities in the span of three years, one of which involved a sexual encounter with a mayor from Ohio.

In relation to the Democratic congressman, the spy allegedly helped place at least one intern in his office. The report did not connect the two romantically, though.

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