Another Woman Accuses Swalwell of Rape, Claiming He Drugged Her, Choked Her Until She Passed Out

A second woman has come forward to accuse retiring Congressman Eric Swalwell of rape just one day after he announced he was resigning as a member of the House. The woman, Lonna Drewes, says Mr. Swalwell may have drugged her before taking her to his hotel room where he raped and choked her until she passed out. Ms. Drewes said she met Mr. Swalwell in 2018 and saw him three more times after that first encounter. “He offered me connections to further my software company and I also had an interest in local politics. He invited me to two public events,” Ms. Drewes told reporters in California, where she appeared with her attorneys. “I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant. He was my friend.”Ms. Drewes says she believes Mr. Swalwell drugged her because she only had a single glass of wine at their third and final meeting, and she does not remember much of what occurred in the following hours. She says the two were supposed to go to a political event together, though he allegedly lured her to his hotel room by saying he needed to retrieve something before they left for the event. “When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated and I couldn’t move my arms or my body,” Ms. Drewes said Tuesday. “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,” Ms. Drewes says. Though she did not subject herself to a rape kit or report the alleged assault to the police, she says she disclosed the incident to those close to her, and that she has records from her personal notes and notes from her therapist to back up her claims. Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, says all of that information will be turned over to the police. “I self-medicated in an unhealthy way. I did not want to live anymore. I cried all the time for years,” Ms. Drewes told reporters. She says she was in a relationship at the time Mr. Swalwell allegedly attacked her. Mr. Swalwell had been a leading candidate in the race to become the next governor of California before allegations of sexual misconduct emerged late last week. He resigned his seat in Congress on Tuesday.His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on the latest accusations. However the congressman has denied all previous allegations of sexual misconduct.Ms. Bloom’s colleague, Arick Fudali, who is also representing Ms. Drewes, said this case is not about politics — it is about justice. “Mr. Swalwell and others have suggested that the allegations against him may have political motivations. Those on the other side of the aisle have already begun exploiting his accusers for political gain,” Mr. Fudali said after Ms. Drewes gave her statement. “This is about much more than politics.”Ms. Bloom says the lawyers will promptly go to the police with all of the records, including text messages, journal entries, photos, and witness information, which she says will corroborate Ms. Drewes’s account of events. “We will encourage the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office to fully and promptly investigate her complaint,” she said. “We will also cooperate with any other law enforcement agencies who are investigating Mr. Swalwell.” The Manhattan district attorney’s office has already opened an investigation into Mr. Swalwell, who allegedly assaulted a different woman in New York City. The first report of Mr. Swalwell’s alleged sexual assaults came from the San Francisco Chronicle, which spoke to a former staffer who says Mr. Swalwell assaulted her on two occasions — once while she worked on his staff and once after she had departed his office. That woman, who remains anonymous, says she is 17 years younger than Mr. Swalwell. According to a report from CNN, another woman, who has also yet to come forward, has claimed Mr. Swalwell raped her. Three other women say he sexually harassed them in various ways, including one woman who said she received unwanted nude photographs from him while another said he touched her leg and tried to kiss her.

Another Woman Accuses Swalwell of Rape, Claiming He Drugged Her, Choked Her Until She Passed Out

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