Video shows moment FBI agents surround Swalwell at SFO amid federal investigation
SAN FRANCISCO -- Newly obtained video shows the moment FBI agents approached former East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell at San Francisco International Airport as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
The footage, obtained by ABC7 Eyewitness News through a public records request, shows Swalwell getting off a plane wearing a black hoodie and baseball cap before investigators approach him. He appears to cooperate and is seen handing what is presumed to be his cellphone to a female agent.
The video then shows agents escorting Swalwell through the airport and into a restricted area.
The footage provides a closer look at the encounter first reported two weeks ago. Sources familiar with the investigation previously told ABC News that federal agents seized Swalwell's cellphone and laptop at the airport. One day later, agents searched his Washington, D.C., home, according to those sources.
Court records now provide additional details about the airport search.
According to the search warrant, which was first obtained by the San Francisco Standard, authorities executed the warrant at approximately 8:25 p.m. on Aug. 15. Records show investigators seized a white Apple iPhone, a charging cable and adapter, and an Apple MacBook Pro.
Anthony Brass, a former assistant U.S. attorney and criminal defense attorney, said serving a search warrant at an airport can offer investigators logistical and tactical advantages.
"There's a number of advantages to meeting someone at the airport," Brass said. "Number one, you can track the flight so you know exactly where they're going to be."
Brass said the presence of several federal agents can also help ensure a warrant is executed smoothly.
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"Having a group of people swarm you, you know, you have to comply and it just sends that message," Brass said. "I'm not suggesting that Eric Swalwell wouldn't comply, but it just takes away that option."
Sources have told ABC News that the criminal investigation is related to the broader allegations of sexual assault.
In April, Swalwell ended his campaign for California governor and resigned from Congress after multiple women accused him of sexual assault. He has denied those allegations.
The search warrant cites 18 U.S.C. 242, a federal civil rights statute as well as "other offenses," according to court records. That referenced criminal statute makes it a crime for anyone acting under the authority of the government to "willfully deprive" another person of federally protected rights.
Brass said that while the FBI does not typically investigate sexual misconduct allegations on their own, references to a federal civil rights statute could indicate investigators are examining whether there was any abuse of power or attempts to influence witnesses. Typically, sexual assult cases are handled by state and local authorities, but there are cases where federal authorities have purview.
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"Any time you have a case where a person has power, a person has reach, you are going to suspect that there is witness dissuasion going on," he said.
"If you use that authority, your power to get people to not go to the authorities about you, that in itself is a case," Brass continued. "And it's easier to prove because the communications are going to be in that MacBook and in that cellphone."
Swalwell has not been charged with a crime.
ABC7 Eyewitness News reached out again to Swalwell's attorney for comment but did not receive a response.
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