FBI Director Kash Patel is pushing for the release of files related to an investigation into Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell's interactions with a suspected Chinese spy. This news is based on reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post. FBI agents and personnel in California have been directed to gather and redact sensitive information from documents, preparing to share it with senior Trump administration officials.

The files stem from a decade-old counterintelligence probe into a Chinese woman known as Christine Fang or Fang Fang. Fang reportedly helped Swalwell with fundraising and placing an intern in his office during the 2014 campaign cycle. Swalwell was not accused of any wrongdoing and severed ties with Fang in 2015 after being briefed by U.S. intelligence officials about their suspicions about her.

The public release of files from an investigation that did not result in criminal charges would mark a highly unusual step, according to the Post. FBI leaders have also discussed sending agents to China to speak with Fang, as they believe she could have damaging information on the California lawmaker. Swalwell has for years accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the issue against him in retaliation for his criticisms of the president.

On Saturday, he suggested that the alleged actions by the FBI were tied to his rising standing in the California governor's race. Swalwell stated: “The reason Trump is so desperately trying to stop me is not because I’m running for Governor of California but because now I’m the favorite. But Donald Trump and Kash Patel do not get to pick the next Governor. Californians do.” Swalwell is leading the Democratic field for governor with 13.4 percent support, according to Decision Desk HQ polling averages.

Polling averages put him about four points behind the current Republican frontrunner, former Fox News host Steve Hilton. In a statement to the Post, an FBI spokesperson denied improper motives regarding the investigative files. “The contentions in this story are incorrect,” the spokesperson told the newspaper. “This FBI, being the most transparent in history, prepares documents for numerous different reasons, including for release to different agencies and departments to further review investigations that may have been opened under previous administrations.”

Swalwell said in September that he “fully” expected to be prosecuted by the Trump administration, pointing to his name in a book written by Patel in which he listed “government gangsters” who should be held accountable. The California Democrat dropped a lawsuit last week against Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte over a criminal referral for mortgage fraud.