Federal agents searched the home of Eric Swalwell, the former Democratic congressman, and seized electronic devices from him over the weekend in connection with a civil rights investigation concerning allegations of sexual assault, according to a person familiar with the inquiry.
The agents, armed with a warrant, stopped Mr. Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and laid claim to his devices. The next day, they searched his home in Washington, the person said.
Mr. Swalwell, who spent more than a decade in the House representing two districts in California, resigned from Congress in April after the news media reported on allegations from several women, including a former member of his staff, accusing him of sexual misconduct. Around the same time, he withdrew from the California governor’s race.
The F.B.I. did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Mr. Swalwell also did not respond to messages seeking comment. The search at his home and the seizure of his communications devices were reported earlier on Thursday by CNN.
Mr. Swalwell is also facing investigation based on accounts from his accusers by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state investigators in Los Angeles. Most sex crimes are prosecuted by state and local authorities. The federal agents appeared to be using civil rights statutes as a means to scrutinize Mr. Swalwell’s conduct with his accusers, the person familiar with the case said.
During his time in Congress, Mr. Swalwell was a vocal critic of President Trump, at one point serving on the House select committee that held him responsible for the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Earlier this week, the White House released previously secret documents arising from an earlier and unrelated investigation into Mr. Swalwell. That inquiry focused on his relationship with a woman named Christine Fang, who was believed by counterintelligence officials to be a Chinese spy.
