A woman who on Tuesday accused Rep. Eric Swalwell of raping her in a West Hollywood hotel in 2018 said she planned to file a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office.
It’s the latest in a series of sexual misconduct allegations against the Democrat that led to his announcement that he’ll resign from Congress.
Lonna Drewes was a model and CEO of a fashion software company considering a run for city council when she said the incident occurred, adding that Swalwell had offered to make political introductions. She said she had met Swalwell twice before the night of the alleged assault, and that she believes he drugged her drink.
“We were supposed to go to a political event, and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” Drewes said at a press conference on Tuesday. “When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn’t move my arms or my body. He raped me and he choked me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died. I did not consent to any sexual activity.”
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“I have never doubted what happened. I stand with the other women who have come forward, and I will be making a report to law enforcement shortly with my attorneys,” Drewes said.
Swalwell’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has denied wrongdoing in response to earlier allegations.
The Democrat, a onetime presidential candidate, announced on Monday that he would resign from Congress, after suspending his campaign for California governor on Sunday.
These allegations signal that even after the Democrat’s resignation announcement, the fallout is far from over. Lisa Bloom, a high-profile attorney known for her work on sexual misconduct cases who is representing Drewes, said that three additional women have reached out to her about Swalwell, though she did not share additional details.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed to several news outlets on Saturday that it is investigating Swalwell following allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer in a New York City hotel room in 2024.
Bloom said that given the severity of the allegations, accountability would not end with his resignation.
“Justice now are the criminal investigations,” Bloom said at the press conference. “Losing one’s job is not a sufficient consequence for these types of allegations. We feel that the criminal investigations are the priority.”
Bloom said that the report would be filed “immediately” with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office, which has jurisdiction over West Hollywood, where the alleged assault occurred.
“This is about much more than politics, and belittling such serious allegations is offensive to Lonna and the victims everywhere,” Arick Fudali, another attorney representing Drewes, said at the press conference. “This is not about Democrat versus Republican, this is about accountability versus silence. This is not about the pursuit of governor, this is about the pursuit of justice.”
“This is not about the end of a campaign or congressional service,” Fudali continued. “This is about the end of exploitation and the abuse of power, political or otherwise.”
The House Committee on Ethics on Monday announced that it opened an investigation into the congressman’s behavior, though the committee only has jurisdiction over sitting lawmakers.
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