A woman who publicly identified herself as Lonna Drewes alleged at a press conference on Tuesday, 14 April, that former US congressman Eric Swalwell drugged her drink and then raped and choked her in a hotel room during a political trip. Speaking alongside her legal team, Drewes described an assault that she said left her incapacitated.
Drewes said the incident took place after Swalwell took her to several public events and then diverted her to his hotel under the pretext of collecting paperwork. Her appearance came days after a series of investigative reports set out a broader pattern of alleged misconduct involving the former Democratic politician.
On 10 April, the San Francisco Chronicle published an account from a woman who said she joined Swalwell's staff in 2019 at the age of 21 and accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was too intoxicated to consent. CNN, on the same date, reported that three other women had come forward with separate allegations of sexual misconduct. None of those claims, including Drewes' account, has been tested in court.
Eric Swalwell Accuser Details Alleged 'Drugging' And Hotel Room Attack
In her statement, Drewes said the former congressman, 45, had taken her to multiple public events before the night she believes he spiked her drink.
'On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine,' Drewes told reporters. She said they were due to attend a political event when he told her he needed to retrieve paperwork from his hotel room.
She said she accompanied him to the room while already feeling the effects of what she believes was a drugging. '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,' she alleged.
#BREAKING : Lonna Drewes A woman accusing Eric Swalwell spoke publicly on national television, making serious allegations about an alleged incident. She claimed she lost consciousness after believing her drink had been tampered with and said she did not consent to any sexual… pic.twitter.com/9WwZCrGqi9
— upuknews (@upuknews1) April 14, 2026
Drewes added that as he was allegedly choking her, she 'lost consciousness' and thought she had died. The claim is graphic and serious, but it remains an allegation at this stage, not an established legal finding. She said she did not undergo a rape kit, but told people close to her about the alleged assault and said she would be making a report to law enforcement.
Standing alongside Drewes, attorney Lisa Bloom widened the focus beyond the individual allegation. She said she was 'sick and tired of women being victimized by men in power', placing the claims against Swalwell in a wider conversation about abuse and politics. Bloom is acting as Drewes' advocate, however, and her remarks were clearly made in support of her client's case.
Earlier Allegations And Eric Swalwell's Rapid Political Collapse
Drewes' press conference came after a rapid unravelling of Swalwell's political career over the previous week.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a former staffer who joined his office in 2019 alleged that Swalwell quickly began pursuing her, including sending explicit images via Snapchat. She claimed they had one consensual sexual encounter, but later alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was too intoxicated to consent, first in 2019 and again five years later in 2024.
CNN separately reported that three additional women had accused Swalwell of other forms of sexual misconduct, including sending unsolicited explicit messages and nude photographs. One woman also alleged that he kissed her and touched her leg without consent before she later became heavily intoxicated in his hotel room and recalled little of the night. Swalwell, through his lawyers, denied the allegations, and CNN said the claims remain unproven.
Under that pressure, Swalwell first abandoned his bid for California governor on Sunday, 12 April, then resigned his seat in Congress the following day. In a statement posted on X on Monday, 13 April, he tried to draw a distinction between what he admitted and what he denied.
'I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past,' he wrote. 'I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.'
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 13, 2026
He also addressed moves in Washington to remove him from office. '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. But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.'
That statement carried a split message. Swalwell acknowledged unspecified 'mistakes in judgment', denied what he called 'serious, false allegations', and cast his resignation as both opposition to a rush to punishment and an act of responsibility. He did not directly address Drewes, the former staffer cited by the Chronicle, or the women referenced by CNN, and he offered no detailed rebuttal of any one allegation.
With Drewes now speaking publicly, supported by Bloom, the picture around Swalwell has become more crowded and more volatile, but it remains legally untested. Whether any of these allegations lead to criminal charges, civil claims or formal findings of fact remains unclear.
