Another woman has accused former California congressman Eric Swalwell of drugging and raping her in a 2018 encounter, widening the sexual misconduct scandal that has already forced him out of his campaign for governor and out of Congress.
Lonna Drewes made the allegation at a press conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, saying she met Swalwell in 2018 and later believed he drugged her before assaulting her in a hotel room in West Hollywood. She said he also choked her and that she lost consciousness during the alleged attack.
Drewes said she was a model and ran a fashion software company when she met Swalwell, and that their early meetings were social before the alleged assault. She said she recorded details in a handwritten calendar and discussed the episode in therapy, including at a sexual assault center in Connecticut, according to the New York Times.
The allegation adds to a broader set of claims against Swalwell, who has faced accusations from multiple women in recent days. CNN reported that four women described conduct ranging from sexual harassment to rape, including allegations of unsolicited explicit messages, unwanted physical contact, and two claimed assaults by a former staffer.
According to reporting from CNN and the BBC, the former staffer said one alleged incident happened in 2019 after drinking and another in 2024 after a charity gala in New York, where she said she was too intoxicated to consent. Other women told reporters that Swalwell sent explicit messages and nude photos.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office opened an inquiry into the allegations after the New York claim was reported, and the House Ethics Committee later said it had begun its own investigation into whether Swalwell violated conduct rules, the BBC reported.
The ethics panel said it would gather more information about allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including toward an employee working under his supervision.
Swalwell has denied the allegations and called them false and politically motivated. His attorney said the accusations were "false, fabricated, and deeply offensive," and described them as a smear campaign.
The fallout has already had major political consequences. Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor and announced plans to resign from Congress, saying he wanted to avoid distracting his constituents while he fought the claims.
His resignation was reported to take effect on Tuesday, as the accusations continued to draw national attention. The new claim from Drewes further escalates the legal and political pressure surrounding the California Democrat, as per NPR.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
