Eric Swalwell accuser Lonna Drewes: ‘He raped me’
Lonna Drewes reacts at a press conference in Beverly Hills, California, on April 14, 2026, claiming that U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) sexually assaulted her, along with a photo of Drewes with Swalwell (R).
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Rep. Eric Swalwell’s new accuser on Tuesday tearfully said she believes the fallen Democratic lawmaker from California drugged her before strangling and raping her in a hotel room in that state in 2018.
The woman, Lonna Drewes, spoke at a press conference in Los Angeles attended by her powerful lawyer. Lisa BloomThe 2020 presidential contender, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, said he would file a police report detailing his allegations against Swalwell.
“He invited me to two public events. I knew at the time that he was married and his wife was pregnant,” Drewes told reporters. “He was my friend. The third time, I think he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine.”
“We were supposed to go to a political event and that was [Swalwell] He said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” Drewes said.
“When I got to the hotel room I was already unable to move and I couldn’t move my arms or my body,” Drewes said of the incident in West Hollywood.
“He raped me.”
“He strangled me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness and thought I was dead,” Drewes said. “I did not consent to any sexual activity.”
The press conference took place just hours before Swalwell’s resignation from Congress, which he announced Monday, was to go into effect.
Swalwell, 45, is currently under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in connection with another alleged assault in New York.
In recent public statements, Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing, even after dealing with unspecified “mistakes” he said he made.
But the congressman, who has three children with his wife, suspended his campaign for governor of California on Sunday and said a day later he would give up his seat in the House of Representatives.
A photo showing Lonna Drewes (L) and former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, is shown at a press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on April 14, 2026, where she describes her allegations of sexual harassment by Swalwell.
Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images
“We will not rest until there is justice for Lonna,” Bloom said.
“Now I want to say something directly to Mr. Swalwell: Your last statement – that you are not perfect, that you are not a saint – is just babbling and nonsense. Stop it,” Bloom said.
“Your statement that this is all just an issue between you and your wife is laughable, if not a slap in the face to the victims,” the lawyer said.
In his resignation statement on Monday, Swalwell said: “I am deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for the errors of judgment I have made in the past. “I will fight the serious, unsubstantiated allegations made against me.
“But I have to take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I made,” Swalwell said.
