California Rep. Eric Swalwell Eric Michael SwalwellSwalwell calls for creation of presidential crimes commission to investigate Trump when he leaves office 'This already exists': Democrats seize on potential Trump executive order on preexisting conditions Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer MORE (D) ripped the Trump administration on Saturday for claiming that Robert Mueller's special counsel office had obtained tens of thousands of emails from the Trump transition team illegally.

A lawyer for President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE's transition team, Kory Langhofer, claimed earlier in the day that Mueller's team improperly obtained thousands of emails from the General Services Administration (GSA), which managed the transition team's email accounts.

Swalwell railed against the claim on Twitter.

"'Private documents' on a US Government, public email system? What are they afraid was found? Baloney. This is another attempt to discredit Mueller as his #TrumpRussia probe tightens," Swalwell tweeted.

“Private documents” on a US Government, public email system? What are they afraid was found? Baloney. This is another attempt to discredit Mueller as his #TrumpRussia probe tightens. https://t.co/VZTkwiGmoB… https://t.co/q0HTbwpQRK — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 16, 2017

A letter sent from Langhofer to several congressional committees says the GSA “unlawfully produced [the transition team's] private materials, including privileged communications, to the Special Counsel’s Office."

Langhofer's letter also calls on Congress "to protect future presidential transitions from having their private records misappropriated by government agencies, particularly in the context of sensitive investigations intersecting with political motives.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Swalwell, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, has upped his rhetoric against Trump and his associates regarding the Russia probe in recent weeks.

In early December, Swalwell said that Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort Paul John ManafortOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Bannon trial date set in alleged border wall scam Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE was guilty of "treason" after news surfaced that Manafort drafted an op-ed with a Russian associate with ties to the Kremlin.

“The nerve. At this point, let’s just call this what it is, treason,” Swalwell wrote on Twitter. “He’s out on bail in the #TrumpRussia investigation and he’s giving comfort and aid to an enemy.”

Manafort was charged in late October under Mueller's special counsel investigation with tax fraud and money laundering, along with a business associate, Richard Gates. He has denied the charges.