Rep. Eric Swalwell said Thursday he fully expects to be prosecuted by the Trump administration because of his criticism of the president. But he promised he will not be silenced. The California Democrat, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, said he is ready for potential legal action but refuses to stop speaking out.
Swalwell pointed out that FBI Director Kash Patel wrote a book listing 60 people he called “government gangsters” who should be investigated. Swalwell and Sen. Adam Schiff were named at the very top of the list as “the two worst,” according to Swalwell. Schiff is now under investigation, which Swalwell sees as a sign of what might happen to him next.
Talking on CNN News Central, Swalwell said, “I’m not hiding under the bed. I’m not going to shrink because that’s the aim. That’s why they do this, is they hope that dissent and oversight goes away.” He added that if he and Schiff back down, everyday Americans would also feel pressured to stay quiet. The congressman said he will keep working to put Democrats in the majority so they can “pump the brakes on the corruption we’re seeing in this administration.”
Patel refuses to step back from investigations
During a congressional hearing last week, Swalwell asked Patel about the list in his book and whether he would promise not to make decisions about investigations into people on his list. Patel said no. When Swalwell pointed out that he was at the top of the list and that 20 of the 60 people have already been investigated or faced bad consequences, Patel shot back harshly. He said he would “call bulls— on your entire career in Congress.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) threatens lawyers that if they prosecute Democrats or RINOs then the Democrat Party will try to cancel their licenses to practice law.
— Paul A. Szypula
All Democrats have are threats and lawfare. Nothing positive for America.
Pathetic.pic.twitter.com/gJTvNkvirn(@Bubblebathgirl) September 25, 2025
Swalwell’s comments come after former FBI Director James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress and blocking justice. The charges relate to testimony Comey gave in September 2020 about the investigation into possible Russian ties to Trump’s 2016 campaign. Over the weekend, Trump spoke directly to Attorney General Pam Bondi in a social media post. He complained that “nothing is being done” to bring cases against several of his political enemies, including Comey and Schiff. He added they are “all guilty as hell.”
The Trump administration has faced heavy criticism for what Democrats say is using the Justice Department as a weapon against political enemies. Schiff is now facing a criminal investigation for claimed mortgage fraud, which his lawyer has called “transparently false, stale, and long debunked.”
