Jerry Dunleavy, an excellent political reporter at the Washington Examiner, has used Twitter to publish what he correctly labels a “scoop,” and he has crafted a must-read. Using my words, not his, he found a source, “a former FBI official from the counterintelligence world,” who explained how a notable coverup worked.  He eschews such conclusory language and wisely sticks to a straightforward facts-first reporting style.

FBI agents started investigating potential Chinese spies Russel Lowe and Fang Fang, who had gotten very close to Dianne Feinstein and Eric Swalwell, respectively.

According to the former FBI official from the counterintelligence world, the FBI had FISA surveillance up & running on Fang (who was targeting numerous politicians in California & elsewhere, including Swalwell), according to the source, and so many of her actions & communications were being intercepted & monitored. The FISA related to suspicions that Fang was an agent of a foreign power (China). The FBI did not believe Fang was a Chinese intelligence officer herself, but rather a willing tool of Chinese intel services. Fang was on the radar of the CIA and the NSA, as well as the bureau. The FBI believed MSS also knew members of Fang’s family.

The sexiest scoop is:

[T]he FBI firmly believed based on the evidence they collected on Fang that there had been a sexual relationship between Swalwell & Fang. (Swalwell’s office had previously refused to answer my questions on what the specific nature of his relationship with Fang Fang had been.)

YouTube screengrab

But the far, far more important story is how the agents actually investigating the two wanted to proceed, but the seventh-floor political hacks overruled them.  Jerry uses three long tweets and one short “final thoughts” post to publish the story. Read all 4 parts here.