Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said Monday that House Democrats plan to pursue [1] private citizens tied to the Trump administration if they regain control of the House, following the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
Swalwell made the remarks during an appearance on “CNN News Central” with co-host Kate Bolduan.
Comey was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction. The charges stem from his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020.
Swalwell, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his allies, said Democrats were preparing for oversight efforts in the next Congress.
“Well, first, we’re making it clear that we’re going into the majority a year from now,” he told Bolduan.
“We have every intention to do that, and so we will bring oversight, accountability, we will subpoena the Department of Justice, but also private actors who have done these drug deals with the administration, college campuses, entertainment companies, law firms and so accountability is coming.”
He added that Democrats would seek to deter cooperation with the Trump administration by signaling investigations.
“And so, one, it’s all coming out, two, I hope that deters people from doing more of these deals, these one-offs with the president,” Swalwell continued.
Turning to the Comey case, Swalwell argued that the charges should have been pursued earlier if they were legitimate.
“One other point, though, on Comey, Kate, this happened when Donald Trump was president. So if you’re trying to tell me this is not politically motivated, the statement that they’re referring to where he allegedly lied, Donald Trump was president, so why didn’t you indict him then? The fact that he’s indicting him now just makes it look even more politically motivated, and so I’m pretty confident that this will either be dismissed or Mr. Comey will be acquitted by a jury of his peers.”
The remarks come amid several high-profile legal settlements involving media outlets and President Trump.
CBS recently agreed to pay $10 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over its editing of an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran against him in the 2024 presidential election.
ABC also reached a settlement with Trump, paying $15 million to resolve a defamation suit filed on March 19, 2024.
That lawsuit followed comments made by “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos during a March 10, 2024 broadcast featuring Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
In addition to media outlets, multiple law firms settled disputes with the Trump administration after the president restricted some attorneys’ access to classified information.
The move came after Trump accused the firms of engaging in lawfare against conservatives.
In 2022, the law firm Kirkland and Ellis drew attention when it parted ways with former Solicitor General Paul Clement and other attorneys.
The firm cut ties after they represented an NRA-backed challenge to “discretionary issue” concealed carry laws and refused to withdraw from Second Amendment litigation.
Swalwell’s comments highlight the partisan divisions surrounding Comey’s indictment and signal that Democrats are preparing to use House authority to pursue Trump’s allies and partners if they win control of the chamber in 2026.