A woman who said she met former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell socially said in a news conference Tuesday that the congressman raped her in 2018 and believes he drugged her drink when the two were planning to attend a political event.
Drewes is one of at least six women who have made allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell, who resigned from Congress on Tuesday, a day after the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating the allegations. Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor on Monday.
Drewes, who said she was working as a model and living in Beverly Hills at the time and owned a fashion software company, said she and Swalwell had contact on “three separate occasions after meeting him socially” and she believed he was her “friend.” She said the 2018 incident in California was the third time Swalwell invited her to a public event, adding that Swalwell’s wife was pregnant at the time.
Lonna Drewes reacts during a press conference alleging Rep. Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her alongside a photo of Drewes with Swalwell, on April 14, 2026, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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“I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine. He — we were supposed to go to a political event, and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” she said. “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.”
ABC News has not independently verified Drewes’ accusations.
In a statement issued after Drewes’ news conference, Sara Azari, a lawyer for Swalwell, said the congressman “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him” and called the women’s allegations “a calculated and transparent political hit job designed to destroy the reputation of a man who has spent twenty years in public service.”
“We will fight these despicable and baseless accusations with the same tenacity, courage, and conviction that has defined the Congressman’s public service. We are confident that the truth will prevail, and we will pursue every available legal remedy against those responsible for orchestrating this reprehensible campaign of lies,” she said.
Lonna Drewes is shown with former Rep. Eric Swalwell in this undated photo.
The Bloom Firm
ABC News has reached out to Swalwell for comment on the new allegations.
During her news conference, Drewes said the alleged incident took a toll on her.
“It had a profound effect on my mental health. I self-medicated in an unhealthy way. I did not want to live anymore. I cried all the time for years,” she said.
She said she was afraid to make accusations against a powerful man.
“My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by my fear, not doubt,” Drewes said. “Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties.”
However, she added that her experience was documented in therapy sessions and disclosed to those close to her.
“Although I did not undergo a rape kit at the time, I disclosed the assault to the people closest to me. I also recorded these events in my handwritten calendar. The assault and its impact were later documented during my therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut,” Drewes said.
Drewes added she plans to file a police report, saying, “I have never doubted what happened. I stand with the other women who have come forward, and I will be making reports to law enforcement shortly.”
Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said they will file a police report “immediately,” and that they will provide authorities with evidence“ … including text messages, journal entries, photograph, and witness information.”
Bloom also spoke directly to Swalwell: “Your recent statement that you are just not perfect, you are not a saint, is just blather and spin. Stop it. Your statement that this is all just a matter between you and your wife is laughable, if not for the fact that it is a slap in the face to the victims,” she said.
Arick Fudali, another of Drewes’ attorneys, also emphasized the need for accountability.
“This is not about Democrat versus Republican. This is accountability versus silence. This is not about the pursuit of governor, this is about the pursuit of justice. This is not about whether you are on the right side or the left side of the aisle. This is about whether on the left or right side of justice, truth, and accountability,” Fudali said.
Drewes’ news conference came after another woman went public with allegations against Swalwell in an interview that aired Tuesday on CBS.
Annika Albrecht said that Swalwell sent her provocative messages and invited her to meet him at a hotel after she met him during a student group visit to Washington, D.C., while she was in college.
“He offered to mentor me. That was, as someone who knew virtually nothing about politics at the time or no one, that was just an incredibly generous offer that I felt very lucky to have,” Albrecht said.
She told CBS that Swalwell added all of the college students to a group chat but then only added her on the messaging app Snapchat, where she said she began to receive first political and later provocative messages from the congressman.
“Ultimately, it reached a point where he invited me to a hotel to meet him,” Albrecht said. “It was very clear what the connotation was. At that point, I completely stopped responding. What I keep thinking back to is how lucky I am that I didn’t go to that hotel.”
Lonna Drewes (C) speaks alongside attorneys Arick Fudali (L) and Lisa Bloom, during a press conference alleging Rep. Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her, on April 14, 2026, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle published the account of a woman, who it did not identify, who said she was hired at age 21 to work as an intern in Swalwell’s district office and that Swalwell had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent. In addition, CNN has reported on three additional women who detailed allegations of inappropriate conduct by Swalwell.
ABC News has not been able to corroborate all of the alleged accounts, including those reported by The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.
ABC News spoke with Ally Sammarco, a social media content creator who said she was 24 at the time she met Swalwell, who accused the lawmaker of sending her inappropriate messages and an unsolicited nude picture of himself in 2021.
Sammarco told ABC News that she was working on Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for Virginia governor and was looking for a job on Capitol Hill.
She said they spoke about the race in Virginia, and then Swalwell gave Sammarco his personal cell number, where she says he started to ask her “more personal questions.”
In September 2021, she says they began messaging on Snapchat, where she said he offered to help send her resume and find a job. He invited her to his office on Capitol Hill, according to text messages reviewed by ABC News.
Sammarco said he initially said she could meet his staff, but when she arrived, she said he escorted her in his office, and she “didn’t meet anybody but him.”
She told ABC News that sometime in October of 2021, Swalwell allegedly sent her an unsolicited picture of his penis, which she said made her feel “gross” and that he was “pushing a sexual agenda.”
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it was launching an investigation into the allegations against him.
In a statement posted Monday on X, Swalwell posted that he is “deeply sorry” to his family, staff and constituents but that “he will fight the serious, false allegation made against me.”
“I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong,” Swalwell said. “But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
A number of Swalwell’s Democratic colleagues called for him to resign since the allegations came to light.
House Ethics rules prohibit sexual relationships between members and interns or staffers but the House cannot investigate an incident occurring more than three terms of Congress ago.
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