Eric Swalwell, the high-profile Democratic congressman from Northern California, has found himself at the center of a disinformation storm. Pushed by right-wing media and supporters of President Trump, it centers on his past association with a suspected Chinese agent.

“After entangling with this spy for years, Swalwell hypocritically went on to be one of the lead instigators of the Russian collusion hoax and the impeachment sham,” White House Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany told reporters on December 15 from the briefing room lectern.

McEnany’s focus on Swalwell echoes a growing Trumpland obsession with a story first published by Axios the previous week, detailing how a suspected Chinese intelligence operative targeted public officials five years ago including small-town mayors, California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna and Swalwell, among others. 

On his Fox News show, Sean Hannity summed up what quickly became the default narrative: “Democrats — they refuse to hold Swalwell accountable for what is blatant hypocrisy, rampant lies, even after he spread the Russia hoax for years.”