The Trump administration’s interest in reviving a long-closed investigation into California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell could backfire against it — by elevating his profile and boosting his on-the-bubble California gubernatorial campaign.

Swalwell has gone on the offensive following reports that FBI Director Kash Patel was pursuing the release of files from a decade-old investigation into the lawmaker’s connections to a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, Christine Fang. As Swalwell tries to break away from the crowded pack in the June 2 gubernatorial primary, some fellow Democrats believe the FBI’s move will end up benefiting Swalwell, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

“I do think it was a stupid move for Patel to threaten to release files of a long-closed investigation involving Swalwell,” said Garry South, a California Democratic strategist not working for any of the gubernatorial hopefuls.

“Trump has a 29% approval rating in California, is hated here, and any move by Trump to single out one of the Democratic candidates for governor is bound to elevate them in the minds of Democratic voters,” he added.

Swalwell was not accused of any wrongdoing; both the FBI and the bipartisan House Ethics Committee closed their investigations into his ties to Fang, which he cut after intelligence officials informed him they were monitoring her.

But the flap has propelled long-running conservative criticism of Swalwell, 45, who filed and then dropped a lawsuit against the Trump administration for trying to launch a politically motivated mortgage fraud investigation into him. He’s already working to turn the GOP talking point into an asset for his gubernatorial bid, which will require a top-two finish in June in order for him to advance to the general election.

“Donald Trump and Kash Patel are targeting me because we’re winning,” Swalwell posted on X this week, likening Patel’s FBI to that of the late J. Edgar Hoover, known to have used bureau resources to look into political opponents.

Swalwell’s spokesperson declined to make him available for questions about the potential release of FBI files, which his attorneys are seeking to stop with a cease-and-desist letter, with a deadline of Thursday.

Trump’s allies see Swalwell’s bid to boost his candidacy as likely to fail. A person close to the White House said Swalwell was “attempting to hijack the narrative as a made-up scheme to release files from his time as the ‘victim’ of rolling in the sheets with a Chinese spy.”

This person also indicated that the FBI itself might not ultimately release the files: Swalwell “knows damn well that the FBI is simply sharing counter-espionage information within the government, but is still spewing outrage with one goal in mind: make sure that these files never see the light of day.“An FBI spokesperson did not return a request for comment.