The Mysterious Woman Who Drew in the FBI, CIA and Eric Swalwell

Aug 30, 2026 - 09:46

Christine Fang was a Chinese student who moved through California politics with extraordinary ease—building relationships with politicians, donors and rising stars like Eric Swalwell. At the same time, the FBI was watching her, trying to understand her intelligence connections, while U.S. agencies reportedly explored recruiting her.
Was she a spy, an influence operator, an ambitious political networker—or something harder to define? This program looks at Christine Fang’s strange rise, her ties to Swalwell, the FBI’s interest in her, her mysterious money trail, her sudden escape from the United States, and why she resurfaced years later in Beijing.