Outlet reports FBI files declassified and released by Trump administration include history of Michael “Rusty Thumbs” texts involving Rep. Eric Swalwell

A report published Monday by Zero Hedge said FBI records declassified and released by the Trump administration describe the Bureau’s yearslong attempt to turn a suspected Chinese intelligence operative into a confidential informant, and that the effort was shut down before the FBI opened a criminal investigation involving U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who represents California’s 15th Congressional District.

Zero Hedge’s write-up claims the FBI spent months trying to develop the suspected operative as an informant, then stopped and pursued a criminal investigation. The outlet also describes Swalwell’s involvement based on the same set of files, including alleged admissions involving sexual messaging, as well as a label the report says was used in connection with those messages, “Rusty Thumbs.”

The outlet’s account further states that the underlying FBI documentation later included references to illegal donation allegations, and it frames the FBI’s actions as a shift from an informant-recruitment posture to an investigative posture tied to a sitting member of Congress. The report does not, in its description, cite specific court filings, charging documents, or named defendants in a way that can be independently verified from the information provided.

The FBI’s handling of potential foreign influence cases, including recruitment of informants and scrutiny of political fundraising, typically falls under classified investigative processes that are not always reflected in public court records. Without an independently verifiable primary document, such as a publicly posted White House release that includes the declassified material or a document docketed in federal court, key details of the report’s claims remain unconfirmed in the public record reviewed for this story.

Separately, reporting on congressional and foreign-influence matters generally intersects with multiple oversight tracks. Criminal investigations can involve federal prosecutors and agencies beyond the FBI, while potential campaign or ethics issues can also move through House ethics review processes. The extent to which the reported developments have affected any formal ethics inquiry, subpoena, or charging decision is not established in the available record for this article.

If additional documentation is later published through official channels, readers are likely to see more specifics on dates, the identities of officials involved in the informant effort, the factual basis cited for stopping that effort, and what evidence underpins any “illegal donations” theory. Until then, the central claims described in the report should be treated as allegations attributed to Zero Hedge’s characterization of FBI files, not as established findings.

A White House page explicitly listing the declassified FBI documents described in the report, or a Federal Register or court filing referencing the same materials, would be needed to confirm the report’s timeline and assertions. At present, official confirmation of the specific Swalwell-related declassification and the contents summarized in the outlet’s description could not be verified from the materials provided for this story.