Swalwell vs Patel: FBI Files Privacy Fight

It's March 31st.

I'm Cory with the story, and this is Global News Today, your AI-powered world briefing.

Lawyers for California Congressman Eric Swalwell just fired off a cease and desist letter

to FBI Director Cash Patel, demanding he halts any plans to.

Release files from a 10-year-old investigation.

No charges ever came out of it, but Patel's team has been reviewing and redacting the

records anyway.

The letter calls this move a clear smear job aimed at hurting Swalwell's run for California

governor.

It warns Patel he's breaking federal law and Justice Department rules and gives him

just three days to confirm he'll back off or face a lawsuit.

This all stems from Swalwell's early interactions with Christine Feng, a suspected Chinese spy

who got involved with his 2012.

Congressional campaign and even helped fundraise in 2014.

The FBI probe did back then, but dropped it without action.

Swalwell's a sharp Trump critic who helped impeach him twice, and he's clashed hard with

Patel, who called him out in his 2023.

Book government gangsters alongside other Trump foes.

Patel's pushing ahead despite the uproar, saying the FBI preps files for all kinds of reasons,

so this privacy fight could drag on as Swalwell's.