The allegation surfaced Tuesday during a news conference in California, as Rep. Eric Swalwell prepared to leave office after earlier sexual-misconduct allegations from other women. Lonna Drewes said she was raped in 2018 and that she believes Swalwell drugged her before the assault at a hotel in Southern California. She said she planned to make a report to law enforcement, according to the Associated Press.
Drewes said she had one glass of wine that evening and described how she and Swalwell had gone to a political-related event. She said the pair stopped in at a hotel to retrieve paperwork, and that once they reached the room, she began to feel heavy and believed she had been drugged. She said she then lost consciousness and that Swalwell raped her and later choked her.
“I did not consent to any sexual activity,” Drewes said during the news conference, describing the assault as occurring at the hotel in Southern California. She said she did not undergo a rape kit, and instead told people close to her and documented what she said happened in her journal.
In describing the records she is preparing to share, Drewes said she discussed the allegation during therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut. She also said her attorney will include material in the forthcoming report, including journal entries, and that text messages and photographs will be part of the planned submission, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press said the allegation comes as Swalwell has faced additional claims. In recent days, Swalwell had said he would resign from Congress, following allegations from other women that he engaged in sexual misconduct, and he denied those allegations while saying he made errors in judgment. Other allegations included accusations of inappropriate messages and nude photos, and the AP said he denied the prior sexual-assault claims.
Drewes said she was working as a model and owned a fashion software company based in Beverly Hills when she met Swalwell. She said she had met him twice before the night of the hotel encounter, and that Swalwell offered to help her with connections to further her company, while knowing she had an interest in local politics.
Attorney Sara Azari released a statement on Swalwell’s behalf. Azari said Swalwell “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him,” and she pledged that he would “pursue every available legal remedy against those responsible for orchestrating this reprehensible campaign of lies.”
Swalwell has also tied his departure to his own description of the allegations. In a letter read on the House floor, Swalwell said his resignation is effective as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. In the letter, a clerk read an apology for past mistakes in judgment and said Swalwell would fight what he called serious, false allegations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a June special election to fill Swalwell’s seat. The AP said Swalwell’s abrupt downfall followed allegations published by the San Francisco Chronicle and later by CNN.