Marjorie Taylor Greene Trades Barbs With Swalwell on Death Threats

Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed Congressman Eric Swalwell on Twitter Thursday after he posted a recording of a death threat sent to his voicemail.

"This death threat is what happens when the FBI *repeatedly* says I have done nothing wrong and yet Kevin McCarthy persists in spreading lies about me out of pure vengeance," Swalwell wrote.

Swalwell, a Democrat who serves California's 14th Congressional District, is among a handful of representatives that McCarthy, the House's new speaker, has vowed to block from holding committee positions in the new congressional term. Swalwell previously served on the House Intelligence Committee but has faced repeated scrutiny from some Republicans after a report in 2020 linked him to a Chinese intelligence operation.

Greene wrote back to Swalwell's voicemail clip from her personal Twitter account, saying that because of "Dem/media lies, I receive some of the most death threats in congress, several this week.

"My house was swatted 6 times," Greene wrote. "Death threats are wrong but you can't be on Intel & have sex w/ China spies."

Swalwell first faced accusations after a report from Axios alleged that he had been targeted by a suspected Chinese spy named Fang Fang, or Christine Fang, who reportedly was able to "gain proximity to political power" through networking, fundraising activity and "romantic or sexual relationships" with California politicians.

Despite Axios and other media outlets reporting that U.S. officials do not believe Swalwell gave Fang access to classified information, McCarthy has said for years that the California representative should not serve on any intelligence committees, according to a 2020 report from NPR after the FBI had briefed McCarthy and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about Swalwell's alleged relationship.

McCarthy also repeated his decision during his first press conference as speaker at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

"Let me phrase something very direct to you," McCarthy told reporters. "If you got the briefing that I got from the FBI, you wouldn't have Swalwell on any committee."

Swalwell, however, has said that the accusations against him stem from his frequent criticism of former President Donald Trump, a close ally of both McCarthy and Greene.

In February 2021, Greene was voted off her committee assignments on the budget panel and Education and Labor Committee after coming under fire for her history of promoting conspiracy theories and violence against Democrats on social media prior to taking office. According to a report from NPR, Greene said in her defense to the House floor that her past comments "do not represent me."

Other Democrats whom McCarthy promises to keep off House committees include Representatives Adam Schiff, from California, and Ilhan Omar, from Minnesota.

McCarthy has previously accused Schiff of lying "to the American public" in reference to his alleged support of the Steele dossier, also known as the Trump-Russia dossier, that alleged ties between the former president and Russia. Schiff previously served on the intelligence committee alongside Swalwell.

Omar, who served on the Foreign Affairs committee, has come under fire from McCarthy for her comments about Israel, which McCarthy described as "antisemitic." As Newsweek previously reported, the House speaker does not have the power to remove a member from a standing committee, which includes Omar's position on Foreign Affairs.

Newsweek has reached out to Swalwell for comment.