Reps. Lauren Boebert and Eric Swalwell took their usual swipes at one another Tuesday after Mr. Swalwell posted a photo of Ms. Boebert one day after the deadly shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, posing with a firearm.
It is unknown when the image of the first-term Colorado Republican was initially taken and posted online, but it shows her standing at a gun show vendor table smiling broadly in short shorts, a t-shirt and holding a semi-automatic rifle.
Above the image Mr. Swalwell, California Democrat, tweeted, “Posted without comment …”
Mr. Swalwell in an earlier tweet Tuesday, posted an image of Ms. Boebert holding a firearm juxtaposed to an image of the alleged Highland Park shooter who is now charged with seven counts of homicide.
Above both images, he writes, “Let’s start drawing straight lines.”
Ms. Boebert clapped back at Mr. Swalwell, reminding him of the Chinese national known as Christine Fang or “Fang Fang” a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who managed to get close to Mr. Swalwell when he started out as a city councilman in 2012 and helped him fundraise to get elected to congress.
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“.@EricSwalwell, give it up creep. Did Fang Fang block you on WeChat?” Ms. Boebert wrote. “You can’t date me.”
Mr. Swalwell was among several local and national politicians Ms. Fang developed connections with by campaign fundraising and extensive networking. According to Axios, she had romantic or sexual relationships with at least two Midwestern mayors.
Mr. Swalwell, who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, refuses to say whether he slept with Ms. Fang and has not been accused of wrongdoing. After U.S. intelligence officials briefed Mr. Swalwell in 2015 about their concerns related to Ms. Fang, he cut off ties with her.
House Republicans drafted a resolution to remove Mr. Swalwell from the Committee, but the Democratic majority tabled the resolution.
The Boebert-Swalwell feud that hits at her Second Amendment advocacy and his past relations with Ms. Fang routinely erupts online and on the House floor. Last November, Ms. Boebert excoriated Mr. Swalwell over his ties to the suspected Chinese spy.
“My colleague & three-month presidential candidate from California, who’s on the Intelligence Committee, slept with Fang Fang, a Chinese spy,” she said. “Let me say that again. A member of Congress who receives classified briefings was sleeping with the enemy.”
Mr. Swalwell responded to Ms. Boebert on Twitter that day, stating, “Weird. If I had done anything wrong the FBI would have raided my house. They didn’t (and went as far to issue a statement saying I did nothing wrong). BUT yesterday they did raid the home of @laurenboebert’s campaign manager. They’re always projecting.”
The home of Ms. Boebert’s former campaign manager Sherronna Bishop was raided by the FBI last November after the bureau accused her and others of an election security data breach. The investigation is ongoing.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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