A fifth woman came forward on Tuesday to accuse Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct after a weekend of political fallout, where Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his California gubernatorial campaign.
While speaking publicly in Beverly Hills alongside attorneys Lisa Bloom and Arick Fudali, Lonna Drewes leveled jaw-dropping allegations against Swalwell that she claimed happened in 2018.
“He r*ped me and he choked me. While he was choking me, I lost consciousness. I thought I died. I believe he drugged my drink…I only had one glass of wine. I did not consent to any s*xual activity. He was married at the time and his wife was pregnant. He said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room. When I arrived to his hotel room I was already incapacitated, I couldn’t move my arms or my body,” the woman said.
“In 2018, while I was living and working as a model in Beverly Hills, and I also owned a fashion software company, I had contact with Eric Swalwell on three separate occasions.”
“I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant. He was my friend. On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink,” Lonna Drewes said.
Swalwell has vehemently denied the sexual assault allegations published by the San Francisco Chronicle, calling them “false.”
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Following several shocking revelations last Friday that compelled him to withdraw his candidacy for California’s next governor, Swalwell declared on Monday that he would resign from his congressional seat.
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said in a statement. “I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”
“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,” he continued. “But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.
According to reports from CNN and The San Francisco Chronicle, at least four women have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including a former assistant who claimed he raped her when she was drunk and unable to give consent.
A bipartisan attempt to expel Swalwell, which was scheduled to take place as early as this week, may be thwarted by his sudden announcement of his resignation plans.
On Tuesday, conservative House Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna intended to propose a resolution to remove Swalwell from office by force. She urged the GOP leadership in the House to vote on the proposal on Wednesday.
Luna called on members of both parties to set aside “ideological differences” and back her resolution as well as a different initiative spearheaded by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., which aims to expel troubled Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas.
Several progressive Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., expressed support for the expulsion effort.
While they have not endorsed Luna’s expulsion resolution, other Democratic lawmakers have urged Swalwell to step down.
Several of Swalwell’s coworkers and longtime supporters withdrew their support for his now-canceled gubernatorial campaign due to Democratic backlash following the Chronicle’s horrific reporting, including former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
On Sunday, Swalwell withdrew from the 2026 gubernatorial primary to replace California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In 2013, Swalwell joined the House of Representatives for the first time. Before entering Congress, Swalwell worked as a prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. In 2010, he was elected to the Dublin, California, city council.
Swalwell led the House’s efforts to impeach President Donald Trump in 2019 before he took charge of investigations into whether Russian meddling significantly influenced the 2016 presidential election.
The San Francisco Chronicle published graphic accounts of a woman accusing Swalwell of pressuring staff members into intimate situations, pursuing drunk women, and requesting explicit photos from female contacts in its Friday report.
Swalwell’s alleged wrongdoing first surfaced earlier this month when political media personality and former Capitol Hill employee Cheyenne Hunt started sharing testimonies from women claiming the congressman had sexually assaulted them.