New Accuser Alleges Eric Swalwell Drugged and Raped Her
Mediaite ^ | April 14, 2026 | Sean James
Posted on 4/14/2026, 1:33:17 PM by Miami Rebel
A woman named Lonna Drewes accused Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) of drugging and raping her during a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, adding to the weighty allegations of sexual misconduct against the California Democrat.
Drewes told reporters she met Swalwell in 2018 while working as a model in Beverly Hills. She said she owned a “fashion software company” at the time and that Swalwell offered to help her with connections.
Drewes said they met two times socially and that she believed “he was my friend.” On the third occasion, she said he sexually assaulted her in a hotel room.
“I believe he drugged my drink,” Drewes said. “I only had one glass of wine. We were supposed to go to a political event and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room. When I arrived at his hotel room I was already incapacitated and couldn’t move my arms or my body.”
She continued, “He raped me and he choked me. And while he was choking me I lost consciousness and I thought I died.”
Drewes said she did not undergo a rape kit after the alleged assault, but that she disclosed it to the people closest to her. She said she documented the effects of the rape in a journal and discussed it with sexual assault therapy group in Connecticut.
The Oregon native said she knew Swalwell was married and had a pregnant wife at the time, and that she also had a boyfriend — two reasons why she said she would never consensually sleep with the lawmaker. Drewes said the alleged rape wrecked her life.
“It had a profound impact on my mental health. I self-medicated in an unhealthy way,” Drewes said. “I did not want to live anymore. I cried all the time for years.”
Drewes told reporters she will be filing a report on the alleged rape with police “shortly” after the press conference.
Her press conference comes after another woman who was a former staffer accused Swalwell of raping her twice in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle on April 10. The woman in the Chronicle report said Swalwell raped her in 2019 and later in 2024 in a New York City hotel room. The Manhattan Defense Attorney’s office announced on April 11 it was launching an investigation into the alleged NYC assault.
Several other women accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct in a CNN report on April 10. CNN anchor Pamela Brown interviewed one of those women on Tuesday, with the woman claiming Swalwell sent her unsolicited pictures of his genitals.
Drewes was flanked by her attorney Lisa Bloom while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Swalwell announced on Monday night he was resigning from Congress following the accusations. He also ditched his campaign to succeed Gavin Newsom (D) as California’s next governor. Swalwell has denied any wrongdoing.
