On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to attack Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a prominent member of the House Intelligence Committee who has pushed to investigate his family.
You think China targeted Swalwell because he\u2019s so \u201ceffective\u201d or because they thought he was a moron?— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1641942808
Trump Jr. is referring to an incident in which Swalwell was approached romantically by a Chinese spy named Christine Fang — one of a number of politicians who have been targeted in this way. Once the FBI informed him of the situation he immediately cut off ties with Fang and cooperated with authorities to prevent a national security breach.
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Swalwell, however, was quick to hit back with Trump Jr.'s own history of being manipulated by foreign nationals.
Why did Russia target you? Probably not for coke. \n\n\u201cIf it\u2019s what you say, I love it, especially later in the summer.\u201dhttps://twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr/status/1481041598670639106\u00a0\u2026— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell) 1641944776
During former President Donald Trump's first campaign, Trump Jr. and some of the family associates met in Trump Tower with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin.
The meeting was advertised to Trump Jr. specifically as part of a Russian government effort to help his father win the presidency, and it was hinted that the meeting would deliver dirt on then-rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump Jr. responded to this overture by saying, "If it's what you say, I love it!"
This meeting was the focus of intense scrutiny by former special counsel Robert Mueller, although ultimately Trump Jr. was not charged because of the difficulty of proving he acted with intent to violate campaign finance laws.
