News that now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., would abandon his California gubernatorial bid in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations on Sunday didn’t prevent Senate lawmakers on Monday from demanding that the embattled congressman go one step further and resign.

“I do,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., said plainly when asked if Swalwell should step down from the House of Representatives.

“Yes,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., answered.

But even as lawmakers began weighing in, Swalwell said he had decided to yield to the pressure. He announced plans to leave office, even while pushing back on claims of abuse, harassment and even rape.

ERIC SWALWELL FACES MANHATTAN SEX ASSAULT PROBE AFTER ENDING CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CAMPAIGN AMID ALLEGATIONS

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make,” Swalwell said in a statement.

To Sen. Jeane Shaheen, D-N.H., the deciding pressure point likely came from his district.

“I think he must have heard from his constituents and he responded to that,” Sen. Jeane Shaheen, D-N.H., said.

Bombshell reporting from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle last Friday recounted allegations from several women, providing detailed accounts of how Swalwell had pursued intoxicated women, pressured employees into intimate situations and asked for explicit images from female contacts.

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The story prompted several lawmakers across both chambers to demand Swalwell’s resignation.

In the hours ahead of Swalwell’s resignation announcement, senators voiced alarm at the detailed accounts and their sources.

“They sound extraordinarily serious and I think — I don’t know Mr. Swalwell, but I do think when you have this many people who know him well, [making accusations] he should go,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said.

Ahead of his resignation, Swalwell had faced a potential expulsion resolution, a vote that, if successful, would have stripped him of his seat.

Despite his ultimate decision to step away, Swalwell condemned the effort.

PELOSI DISTANCES HERSELF FROM ALLY SWALWELL AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress,” Swalwell said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom must announce a special election to fill Swalwell’s seat within 14 days, according to California state law. Once announced, the election must be held within 140 days.

One of the Democratic Party’s rising star governors, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, is being slammed for signing a bill to award the state’s presidential electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

The bill signed by Spanberger adds Virginia to the National Popular Vote Compact, an interstate agreement between states to award the entirety of their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Virginia Republicans railed against the bill, arguing it makes the state’s votes “NULL AND VOID.”

This comes as Spanberger, who was recently selected to deliver the Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, has seen her approval ratings plummet. Critics have accused her of abandoning her centrist campaign message to advance far-left policies.

Criticisms of Spanberger erupted anew after news broke that Spanberger had approved the bill. The Virginia Republican Party posted on X that “fake Moderate Spanberger just signed a bill to render Virginians’ vote for president NULL AND VOID!”

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The GOP said that under the bill, “all of Virginia’s Electoral College votes will go to the winner of the national popular vote — no matter who wins the popular vote in our Commonwealth.”

The party called the move “an unconstitutional assault on our democracy.”

However, Spanberger won praise from groups that oppose the Electoral College. Stand Up America, a progressive voting rights organization, hailed the move, with Executive Director Christina Harvey calling it “an important step forward for representative democracy.”

“Virginia has set another powerful example for other states of how to stand up for representative democracy even as they come under increasing pressure from the Trump administration,” said Harvey, adding, “The presidency should be won by the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide—not just the right combination of battleground states.”

She said, “this brings us one step closer to a system where Americans’ votes for President and Vice President count equally, no matter where they live.”

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact operates on a conditional trigger that keeps the law dormant until it can guarantee a victory for the national popular vote winner. While member states pass the legislation individually, the compact only activates when the total electoral weight of all participating states reaches a majority of the Electoral College, at least 270 electoral votes.

With Virginia officially joining, the compact currently sits at 222 electoral votes, meaning it remains 48 votes short of the threshold.

SPANBERGER DENIES ‘DEAL’ WITH SWING-DISTRICT DEMOCRAT AS GERRYMANDERING CLAIMS ABOUND STATEWIDE

Until that 270-vote mark is met, the law has no effect, and member states continue to award their electors based on their own internal state results.

National Popular Vote, the organization advancing the compact, also celebrated Virginia being added, saying in a statement that the compact “will guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

Patrick Rosenstiel, a spokesperson for National Popular Vote, told Fox News Digital he is “grateful” to Spanberger and the Virginia Legislature, saying “their support builds critical momentum for our movement to give 63 percent of American voters what they want, a national popular vote for President.”

“With Virginia’s 13 electoral votes, the National Popular Vote Compact is 48 electoral votes short of reaching the 270 required to activate it,” Rosenstiel noted, adding, “We’ll continue our state-by-state work until the candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected president and every voter is treated equally in every presidential election.”

The group noted that similar bills have been introduced in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada.

Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, no voter will have their vote cancelled out at the state-level because their choice differed from plurality sentiment in their state. Instead, every voter’s vote will be added directly—without distortion—into the national count for the candidate of their choice. This will ensure that every Virginia voter is relevant in presidential elections moving forward.

Spanberger has also recently been accused by former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin of “illegal and unconstitutional” gerrymandering amid her push to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.

Virginians will vote April 21 on Spanberger’s redistricting referendum, a move that Youngkin said would give Democrats 10 of the state’s 11 congressional seats.

Spanberger signed hundreds of bills passed by the majority-Democratic legislature on Monday. She also vetoed a few bills relating to unregulated skill-gaming machines and a proposed Fairfax County casino and sent back dozens with proposed amendments.

VIRGINIA DEM ADMITS REDISTRICTING PUSH AIMS TO ‘STOP TRUMP’, NOT ABOUT ‘FAIRNESS’

Among the bills that Spanberger signaled support for with proposed amendments was a slate of new restrictions on gun ownership, including a ban on “assault weapons,” as well as restricting law enforcement from assisting with immigration enforcement.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office for comment.

The Trump administration has fired multiple prosecutors who handled cases that resulted in prison sentences for pro-life activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, as the Justice Department moves to overhaul enforcement of the law.

The Justice Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that four prosecutors tied to those cases were dismissed, following a CBS News report on the firings.

The department’s rapid response account on X said the Justice Department “has terminated the employment of personnel responsible for weaponizing the FACE Act who still remained at the department.”

The personnel moves come after the Justice Department released a report Tuesday alleging the Biden administration “weaponized” federal law by selectively prosecuting pro-life activists under the FACE Act, which was designed to protect access to abortion clinics and pregnancy resource centers.

BIDEN PUSH TO REVIVE TED KENNEDY-ERA LAW NOW HAUNTS DEMOCRATS AS CHARGES LOOM IN MINNESOTA CHURCH RIOT

According to the report, based on a review of more than 700,000 internal records, prosecutors coordinated with abortion-rights groups to identify activists, sought harsher sentences for pro-life defendants and, in some cases, withheld evidence from defense attorneys.

“This department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”

The report also alleged prosecutors attempted to screen out jurors based on religious beliefs and, in some cases, pursued aggressive arrest tactics rather than allowing defendants to voluntarily surrender.

FINAL CHARGE DROPPED IN YEARSLONG HARRIS-ERA CASE AGAINST PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST

For instance, the report cited a case involving pro-life activist Mark Houck in which prosecutors declined a request for him to self-surrender and instead authorized an FBI arrest at his home.

Justice Department officials said sentencing recommendations for pro-life defendants averaged 26.8 months in prison, compared to 12.3 months for individuals accused of attacks on pro-life organizations.

The report argued FACE Act enforcement under the Biden administration was uneven, with authorities prioritizing cases involving abortion clinics while failing to adequately pursue attacks on pregnancy resource centers and churches.

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Assistant Attorney General Daniel Burrows said the findings raised serious concerns about department attorneys.

“The behavior unearthed in this report is shameful,” Burrows said, adding that some prosecutors “withheld evidence” and worked to exclude religious jurors.

The Trump administration has already taken steps to reverse course, including issuing pardons for pro-life activists convicted under the prior administration, dismissing several civil cases and limiting future FACE Act prosecutions to “extraordinary circumstances.”

The FACE Act, passed in 1994, prohibits the use of force, threats or physical obstruction to interfere with access to reproductive health services.

A memo released by the Trump administration on Tuesday detailed a goal of having a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface by 2030, a move that furthers the United States’ quest for supremacy in space over China and Russia.

In the six-page document, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote that incorporating nuclear energy in space will be essential to advancing U.S. efforts in “space exploration, commerce, and defense applications.”

“Nuclear power in space will give us the sustained electricity, heating, and propulsion essential to a permanent presence on the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote on X.

SEN CYNTHIA LUMMIS: DON’T HAND CHINA THE NUCLEAR FUTURE — BUILD IT HERE AT HOME

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman celebrated the memo, which outlined how nuclear reactors will be crucial for eventual deep-space exploration to Mars.

“The time has come for America to get underway on nuclear power in space,” Isaacman wrote on X.

The memo cited President Donald Trump’s December 2025 executive order titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority.”

TRUMP WANTS A MOON LANDING BY 2028, SO WHY IS NASA ALREADY HEDGING?

It was signed just months after then-acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said on “Sean Hannity” that he wanted the U.S. to build a nuclear reactor on the moon before China does.

Last May, China and Russia agreed to work together to build a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface by 2036.

The Department of War, Department of Energy, NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy have all been tasked with meeting the White House’s goals of deploying nuclear reactors on the moon’s surface and in the moon’s orbit.

TRUMP UNLEASHES NUCLEAR BOOM, POWERING AMERICA BACK TO ENERGY DOMINANCE

The memo outlines the Trump administration’s plan to deploy mid-power nuclear reactors in the moon’s orbit by 2028. Each nuclear power reactor will be designed to provide 20 kilowatts of energy, roughly the same amount used by an average American household.

The reactors will be designed to generate power for at least three years in orbit, and lunar surface-based nuclear reactors will provide energy for at least five years.

The memo’s publication comes just two weeks after NASA launched Artemis II, the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years. The mission was designed to test the Orion spacecraft’s deep-space navigation, manual piloting capabilities and life-support systems.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and NASA for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer request for an illegal migrant in Oklahoma who is charged with murder for allegedly strangling his wife to death and dumping her body near a highway. 

Willie Ricardo Merida‑Escobar, 40, was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Karla Gramajo-Cabrera, in Tulsa County, on April 10. Merida-Escobar, a Guatemalan national, entered the country illegally in September 2016 and was issued a final order of removal in 2023, according to DHS. 

“Willie Ricardo Merida‑Escobar, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, strangled his wife and dumped her body under a highway in Oklahoma. This monster should have never been in our country,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

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“ICE lodged an arrest detainer with our law enforcement partners in Tulsa County to ensure this sick individual is not released from custody. 7 of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE,” Bis added. “Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the U.S.”

According to NewsOn6, Gramajo-Cabrera was reported missing by her sister, prompting an investigation into her disappearance. 

Police noted a pattern of suspicious activity and domestic violence from her husband, Merida-Escobar, and after Escobar was taken into custody, the Guatemalan national confessed to the murder of his wife.

Local police told NewsOn6 that the couple’s 17-year-old son was asleep in the home during the time when Merida-Escobar allegedly strangled his wife on April 8.

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Merida-Escobar also told police he couldn’t pinpoint the location where he dumped his wife’s body, though she eventually was located under a mattress near a highway after further investigation using phone data and further questioning, according to NewsOn6.

According to DHS, an argument took place between the two where Merida-Escobar’s wife insulted him before he allegedly strangled her to death.

Oklahoma, unlike some “sanctuary” states and jurisdictions, has the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to work with ICE and federal immigration officers to refer illegal migrant criminals to the agency for deportation proceedings. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Republican Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on whether Merida-Escobar would be considered under the program to be processed for removal but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., formally resigned his House seat on Tuesday amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that spurred calls to step aside or face expulsion. 

Swalwell’s swift fall from grace, and subsequent likely end of his political career, was made official in a letter from the embattled lawmaker read aloud on the House floor. Swalwell apologized to his family and constituents before again pushing back against the allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault levied against him. 

“I will fight the serious false allegations made against me,” Swalwell wrote. “However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

PELOSI DISTANCES HERSELF FROM ALLY SWALWELL AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

The announcement came after Swalwell said Monday that he planned to resign but did not lay out a clear timeline. The now-former lawmaker’s time in Congress officially came to an end at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

His letter and resignation also came ahead of pushes to expel him and others, including Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., from the House for a variety of scandals. 

“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong,” Swalwell wrote. “But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties.”

ERIC SWALWELL EXITS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR RACE APOLOGIZING FOR PAST JUDGMENT WHILE DENYING CLAIMS

Swalwell’s resignation appeared to thwart a potential expulsion threat from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who vowed to force a vote on a measure forcibly removing him if he did not voluntarily exit Congress. 

“I have just been notified that Eric Swalwell has officially submitted his resignation to the House Clerk,” Lune wrote on X. “Effective immediately.”

Five women, including one former staffer, have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct or rape. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has opened a criminal investigation into one incident that allegedly occurred in a New York City hotel room.

SWALWELL’S ‘BEST FRIEND’ IN CONGRESS TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS TORPEDO HIS POLITICAL CAREER

FBI Director Kash Patel has also invited Swalwell to have a conversation with the bureau about the allegations.

Swalwell has denied any criminal wrongdoing and has promised to fight “false” accusations against him.

He suspended his surging gubernatorial campaign over the weekend after nearly every prominent Democrat who had endorsed him retracted their support.

Meanwhile, Swalwell’s resignation letter was read in the House right after Gonzales’, whose time in the lower chamber won’t officially come to an end until just before the stroke of midnight on Tuesday. 

Gonzales, who is married and has six children, admitted to having an affair with his former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later died by setting herself on fire. But he has not acknowledged a second accusation of sexual misconduct with a former aide reported by The San Antonio-Express News.

“It has been my privilege to serve the residents of Texas’s 23rd congressional district,” Gonzales wrote. 

U.S. immigration authorities reportedly detained former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem in Florida on Monday, months after Brazil sentenced him to prison for his role in a plot to keep former President Jair Bolsonaro in power after the 2022 election.

Brazilian authorities said Ramagem fled the country in September 2025, shortly after being sentenced to 16 years in prison. But Ramagem’s supporters argue that he has an active asylum claim in the United States and should not be deported.

In a statement announcing Ramagem’s detention, the Brazilian Federal Police did not name him directly but referenced the crimes he was convicted of.

“The detainee is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice after convictions to crimes including participation in an armed criminal organization, a coup d’état, and the attempted violent abolition of the rule of law,” the Federal Police said in a statement.

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Brazilian Senator Jorge Seif, an ally of Bolsonaro, shared on social media that Ramagem was detained by U.S. authorities. Seif is pushing for Ramagem’s release, arguing that he should be granted political asylum.

“The political persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is now hitting an elected lawmaker in foreign soil,” Seif said. “In our document (to the U.S. embassy) we showed all the reasons that justify and defend the concession of political asylum to Ramagem and his family.”

Brazilian authorities said the detention was the result of “international police cooperation,” not directly tied to his conviction.

Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo, a friend of Ramagem, shared on X that he was detained after being stopped by police for a “minor traffic violation.” Authorities then referred Ramagem to ICE. Figueiredo claimed that Ramagem currently has an asylum request with the United States.

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Figueiredo wrote that Immigrex, a visa consulting company where he is a partner, will provide full services to Ramagem.

“Our expectation is that he will be released as quickly as possible, and at this time we see no risk of deportation. The ICE process is also bureaucratic and depends on formal processing within the agency’s system before the next steps can be taken,” Figueiredo wrote on X.

On Monday, The Associated Press reported that Ramagem was listed on ICE’s online detainee database, but a Fox News Digital search on Tuesday found his name was not listed.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment.

Brazilian authorities say the coup led by Bolsonaro and his supporters began months before the 2022 election, when they alleged that there was a strong chance that the election was rigged against Bolsonaro. When President Luiz Inácio de Silva won the election, Bolsonaro did not concede. He was later convicted of attempting to overthrow the government and is currently serving a 27-year sentence for his role in the coup.

Residents in Fairfax County, Virginia expressed frustrations with a slew of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens in recent months while at the same time voicing skepticism over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“I’m not team ICE, but I do agree that if you’re out here committing crimes, then you don’t want to be here,” one respondent said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency at the heart of Trump’s detention and deportation efforts.

“So, I think they should leave the people that are just chilling alone, but if you’re out here committing crimes, yeah, you might have to go.”

In particular, residents raised alarm about cases like the murder of Stephanie Minter — a woman stabbed to death at a bus stop in February at the hands of an illegal alien from Sierra Leone — a repeat offender with a lengthy criminal history.

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Abdul Jalloh, 32, had been arrested more than 30 times, according to the Department of Homeland Security, but was still released by Virginia authorities.

To some, Minter’s death is a clear indicator of a need for reform.

“I’ll tell you this. Someone that’s been arrested 30 times and has been let back out and can commit a crime like this? Something has to change. Something is not working,” one Fairfax resident told Fox News Digital.

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“If it’s the 30th time, I don’t know what justification they have for why they’re not sent back or given some sort of harsher punishment,” another said.

Fairfax County has made headlines for a string of murders similar to Minter’s case.

Earlier this month, authorities charged 28-year-old Guatemala native Misael Lopez Gomez with the murder of his 3-month-old daughter. His arrest comes on the heels of a separate attack by Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, another Guatemalan man charged with fatally stabbing a man in his home.

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According to the Department of Homeland Security, three out of every four suspects charged with murder in Fairfax County are illegal aliens.

Other Fairfax residents approached by Fox News Digital said they believed the state needed to coordinate its law enforcement efforts more tightly.

“The new governor — she needs to do better to work with the Fairfax police department. It’s up to her too. She’s a new one,” a commentator said, referring to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who assumed office in November.

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While Spanberger has repeatedly said Virginia is not a sanctuary state, a state that prevents local law enforcement from partnering with federal immigration enforcement efforts, Spanberger rescinded local-federal coordination requirements as one of her first actions as governor.

She argued that Virginia’s resources would be better spent enforcing its own laws.

“Virginians have been deprived of critical public safety and local law enforcement to divert their limited resources for use in enforcing federal civil immigration laws,” Spanberger said in a press release.

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“Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws — law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters,” she added.

Spanberger signed her executive order on Jan. 17 — the same day she took office.

Although some residents said they had reservations about federal immigration policies, they suggested illegal aliens with criminal histories probably shouldn’t raise controversy.

“I do think that’s a good place to start. People that are committing crimes actively now, who are not supposed to be here? I mean, yeah. That’s reasonable,” another resident said.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, N.M., introduced an expulsion resolution against Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, on Tuesday after the embattled lawmaker failed to meet her deadline to resign from Congress. 

Gonzales announced his plans on Monday to “file his retirement” but did not specify when he planned to step aside.

The Texas Republican’s plans to resign come after he admitted to an extramarital affair with a former staffer earlier this year after repeatedly denying the allegations.

Teresa Leger Fernandez vowed to introduce an expulsion resolution targeting Gonzales if he did not resign by Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern time. 

REP TONY GONZALES ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION AMID HOUSE ETHICS INVESTIGATION INTO AFFAIR

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said on social media that she expected Gonzales to formally announce his resignation later on Tuesday.

Gonzales suspended his re-election campaign in March after House GOP leadership called on him to exit the race. 

He was also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.

FIRST ON FOX: Sensitive U.S. military positions in the Middle East may have been exposed through commercial satellite imagery ahead of an Iranian strike that wounded American troops, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned in a new letter raising national security concerns.

In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Moolenaar said Airbus satellite imagery may have been the original source of images later published by a China-based company, MizarVision, which released high-resolution, annotated views of U.S. military aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Moolenaar pointed to a sequence in which the firm publicly identified U.S. aircraft at the base shortly before Iran launched a March 27 missile and drone strike on the installation.

The attack wounded at least 12 U.S. service members — two critically — and damaged multiple high-value aircraft, including KC-135 refueling tankers and an E-3G Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft.

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Moolenaar said the timing and level of detail in the imagery raise questions about whether publicly available satellite data could be used by adversaries to identify and target U.S. military assets, warning that such images risk becoming “targeting data for enemy forces.”

While commercial satellite imagery is widely available and often used for research and transparency, the letter warns that near-real-time, high-resolution images of active operations could provide adversaries with actionable intelligence.

Moolenaar urged War Secretary Pete Hegseth to press Airbus to restrict the release of such imagery, noting that other companies, including Planet Labs, have voluntarily withheld images of the region at the request of the U.S. government.

The push highlights a broader debate over whether limiting access to commercial satellite imagery during wartime is necessary to protect U.S. troops or risks restricting open-source intelligence.

A technical analysis conducted with a satellite systems expert found Airbus satellites were the “most plausible” source of the imagery, according to the letter, identifying multiple windows in which they were positioned to capture images of the base.

The letter also cites a “high likelihood” that Airbus imagery was made available prior to the conflict, though it does not establish how the images were obtained or whether Airbus provided them directly.

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The letter also cites a satellite imagery expert who said the images were unlikely to have originated from Chinese satellites given their known capabilities, further narrowing the pool of potential providers.

Commercial satellite imagery often is distributed through complex global licensing networks, meaning images captured by one company can pass through multiple intermediaries before being accessed or published by third parties.

Moolenaar also pointed to Airbus’ business ties in China, including a joint venture with entities linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, raising concerns about how satellite imagery could flow through networks connected to Beijing.

The concerns come amid broader scrutiny from the committee over Airbus’ ties to China. 

In a December 2025 letter, Moolenaar warned that Airbus’ work with Chinese firms linked to military development could risk advancing Beijing’s aerospace capabilities and said the French government had limited the committee’s ability to obtain information about Airbus’ operations.

The episode highlights the expanding role of open-source intelligence in modern warfare, where commercially available satellite imagery can offer near real-time insight into military operations and, in some cases, expose sensitive positions during active conflicts.

At the same time, such imagery has become a key tool for journalists, researchers and governments, often used to track conflicts and verify military activity—raising questions about how to balance transparency with security during wartime.

Airbus and the Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment.