December 24, 2024
Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, prompted backlash after he inquired about the size of a Republican colleague's pin, which is in the shape of a rifle.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is being roasted on Twitter after he asked about the size of a Republican colleague’s gun.

The inquiry and subsequent backlash came after Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia, shared a video on social media holding a pin of a miniature rifle in his congressional office.

“Why is it so small?” Swalwell, D-Calif., asked in response. 

Several responses to the post highlighted Swalwell’s prior relationship with suspected Chinese intelligence spy Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, and made a not-so-subtle reference to Swalwell himself.

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Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. 

Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Is what Fang Fang told you…” responded conservative comedian Tim Young.

“That’s what she said (Fang Fang that is),” former U.S. House candidate Josh Barnett wrote.

The query and Swalwell’s connection to the suspected Chinese spy also prompted comments about the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was discovered over Montana on Thursday.

“Let’s cut the political theatrics for a moment, can you phone Fang Fang and ask what’s the deal with this balloon!” responded former congressional candidate John Matland. 

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Clyde said in the video that the firearm was a pin and said he would continue giving them out despite the alleged backlash. 

“I hear that this little pin I have been giving out on the House floor has been triggering some of my Democrat colleagues. Well, I give it out to remind people of the Second Amendment of the Constitution and how important it is to preserving our liberties,” Clyde said in the video. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., departs from the U.S. Capitol Building on September 30, 2022, in Washington, DC. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., departs from the U.S. Capitol Building on September 30, 2022, in Washington, DC.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

He added: “If I missed you on the House floor, please stop by my office in the Canon building. I have plenty more to give out.”

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The California representative has been in the hot seat since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy decided to block him from a position on the House Intelligence Committee, claiming that he “openly lied” about Russian election interference.

The American and Chinese flags. 

The American and Chinese flags.  (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Swalwell called McCarthy’s decision “political vengeance” enacted after Republicans were elected to the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections. 

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McCarthy recently doubled down on his decisions, saying: “Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector. I’m not going to give him a government security clearance.”