A lady who stated she met former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell socially stated in a information convention Tuesday that the congressman raped her in 2018 and believes he drugged her drink when the 2 have been planning to attend a political occasion.
Lonna Drewes is one among at the very least six girls who’ve made allegations of sexual misconduct in opposition to Swalwell, who resigned from Congress on Tuesday, a day after the Home Ethics Committee introduced it was investigating the allegations. Swalwell suspended his marketing campaign for California governor on Monday.
Drewes, who stated she was working as a mannequin and dwelling in Beverly Hills on the time and owned a trend software program firm, stated she and Swalwell had contact on “three separate events after assembly him socially” and he or she believed he was her “pal.” She stated the 2018 incident in California was the third time Swalwell invited her to a public occasion, including that Swalwell’s spouse was pregnant on the time.
Lonna Drewes reacts throughout a press convention alleging Rep. Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her alongside a photograph of Drewes with Swalwell, on April 14, 2026, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos
“I consider he drugged my drink. I solely had one glass of wine. He — we have been speculated to go to a political occasion, and he stated he wanted to get paperwork from his resort room,” she stated. “After I arrived at his resort room, I used to be already incapacitated and I could not transfer my arms or my physique. He raped me and he choked me. And whereas he was choking me I misplaced consciousness, and I assumed I died. I didn’t consent to any sexual exercise.”
ABC Information has not independently verified Drewes’ accusations.
In a press release issued after Drewes’ information convention, Sara Azari, a lawyer for Swalwell, stated the congressman “categorically and unequivocally denies each allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled in opposition to him” and known as the ladies’s allegations “a calculated and clear political hit job designed to destroy the repute of a person who has spent twenty years in public service.”
“We’ll combat these despicable and baseless accusations with the identical tenacity, braveness, and conviction that has outlined the Congressman’s public service. We’re assured that the reality will prevail, and we are going to pursue each accessible authorized treatment in opposition to these chargeable for orchestrating this reprehensible marketing campaign of lies,” she stated.
Lonna Drewes is proven with former Rep. Eric Swalwell on this undated photograph.
The Bloom Agency
ABC Information has reached out to Swalwell for touch upon the brand new allegations.
Throughout her information convention, Drewes stated the alleged incident took a toll on her.
“It had a profound impact on my psychological well being. I self-medicated in an unhealthy manner. I didn’t wish to stay anymore. I cried on a regular basis for years,” she stated.
She stated she was afraid to make accusations in opposition to a robust man.
“My delay in taking motion in opposition to Eric was pushed by my worry, not doubt,” Drewes stated. “Worry of his political energy, his background as an legal professional, and his household legislation enforcement ties.”
Nevertheless, she added that her expertise was documented in remedy classes and disclosed to these near her.
“Though I didn’t endure a rape package on the time, I disclosed the assault to the folks closest to me. I additionally recorded these occasions in my handwritten calendar. The assault and its influence have been later documented throughout my remedy classes at a sexual assault middle in Connecticut,” Drewes stated.
Drewes added she plans to file a police report, saying, “I’ve by no means doubted what occurred. I stand with the opposite girls who’ve come ahead, and I will probably be making reviews to legislation enforcement shortly.”
Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, stated they’ll file a police report “instantly,” and that they’ll present authorities with proof“ … together with textual content messages, journal entries, {photograph}, and witness info.”
Bloom additionally spoke on to Swalwell: “Your latest assertion that you’re simply not excellent, you aren’t a saint, is simply blather and spin. Cease it. Your assertion that that is all only a matter between you and your spouse is laughable, if not for the truth that it’s a slap within the face to the victims,” she stated.
Arick Fudali, one other of Drewes’ attorneys, additionally emphasised the necessity for accountability.
“This isn’t about Democrat versus Republican. That is accountability versus silence. This isn’t in regards to the pursuit of governor, that is in regards to the pursuit of justice. This isn’t about whether or not you might be on the proper aspect or the left aspect of the aisle. That is about whether or not on the left or proper aspect of justice, fact, and accountability,” Fudali stated.
Drewes’ information convention got here after one other girl went public with allegations in opposition to Swalwell in an interview that aired Tuesday on CBS.
Annika Albrecht stated that Swalwell despatched her provocative messages and invited her to fulfill him at a resort after she met him throughout a pupil group go to to Washington, D.C., whereas she was in school.
“He supplied to mentor me. That was, as somebody who knew nearly nothing about politics on the time or nobody, that was simply an extremely beneficiant provide that I felt very fortunate to have,” Albrecht stated.
She instructed CBS that Swalwell added the entire school college students to a gaggle chat however then solely added her on the messaging app Snapchat, the place she stated she started to obtain first political and later provocative messages from the congressman.
“In the end, it reached some extent the place he invited me to a resort to fulfill him,” Albrecht stated. “It was very clear what the connotation was. At that time, I fully stopped responding. What I preserve considering again to is how fortunate I’m that I did not go to that resort.”
Lonna Drewes (C) speaks alongside attorneys Arick Fudali (L) and Lisa Bloom, throughout a press convention alleging Rep. Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her, on April 14, 2026, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos
Final week, the San Francisco Chronicle printed the account of a girl, who it didn’t establish, who stated she was employed at age 21 to work as an intern in Swalwell’s district workplace and that Swalwell had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent. As well as, CNN has reported on three further girls who detailed allegations of inappropriate conduct by Swalwell.
ABC Information has not been capable of corroborate the entire alleged accounts, together with these reported by The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.
ABC Information spoke with Ally Sammarco, a social media content material creator who stated she was 24 on the time she met Swalwell, who accused the lawmaker of sending her inappropriate messages and an unsolicited nude image of himself in 2021.
Sammarco instructed ABC Information that she was engaged on Terry McAuliffe’s marketing campaign for Virginia governor and was on the lookout for a job on Capitol Hill.
She stated they spoke in regards to the race in Virginia, after which Swalwell gave Sammarco his private cell quantity, the place she says he began to ask her “extra private questions.”
In September 2021, she says they started messaging on Snapchat, the place she stated he supplied to assist ship her resume and discover a job. He invited her to his workplace on Capitol Hill, in keeping with textual content messages reviewed by ABC Information.
Sammarco stated he initially stated she may meet his employees, however when she arrived, she stated he escorted her in his workplace, and he or she “did not meet anyone however him.”
She instructed ABC Information that someday in October of 2021, Swalwell allegedly despatched her an unsolicited image of his penis, which she stated made her really feel “gross” and that he was “pushing a sexual agenda.”
The Home Ethics Committee introduced Monday it was launching an investigation into the allegations in opposition to him.
In a press release posted Monday on X, Swalwell posted that he’s “deeply sorry” to his household, employees and constituents however that “he’ll combat the intense, false allegation made in opposition to me.”
“I’m conscious of efforts to carry a direct expulsion vote in opposition to me and different members. Expelling anybody in Congress with out due course of, inside days of an allegation being made, is fallacious,” Swalwell stated. “But it surely’s additionally fallacious for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Due to this fact, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
A variety of Swalwell’s Democratic colleagues known as for him to resign because the allegations got here to mild.
Home Ethics guidelines prohibit sexual relationships between members and interns or staffers however the Home can’t examine an incident occurring greater than three phrases of Congress in the past.
