In summary
A day after Rep. Eric Swallwell said he would resign from Congress, a Beverly Hills woman detailed what she described as a violent sexual encounter with the Democratic lawmaker.
A Beverly Hills woman alleged Tuesday that Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her at a hotel room in 2018, saying she believed she was drugged.
“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,” Lonna Drewes told reporters at a press conference at the office of her lawyers in Beverly Hills.
Drewes said Swalwell, whom she met through mutual friends, “spoke repeatedly about his ability to make connections” to help with her software company. Drewes said she was also considering a run for Beverly Hills City Council at the time.
In a statement posted online, an attorney for Swalwell said he “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”
“These accusations are false, fabricated and deeply offensive — a calculated and transparent political hit job designed to destroy the reputation of a man who has spent nearly twenty years in public service,” attorney Sara Azari wrote.
Asked if Swalwell thought the women were lying about corroborating evidence such as medical records that they had provided to reporters, Azari wrote, “We haven’t seen documents.”
A week ago, Swalwell was one of three leading Democratic contenders for governor, but his support quickly collapsed soon after the San Francisco Chronicle reported last Friday that an unnamed former staff member said Swalwell solicited oral sex from her while she was working for him and twice sexually assaulted her when she was too drunk to consent.
CNN later Friday published the same woman’s account, as well as those of three other women, one of whom said he kissed and touched her inappropriately and two of whom alleged he sent unsolicited messages.
Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign Sunday night and officially resigned from Congress Tuesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proclaimed a special election to serve the remainder of Swalwell’s term on Aug. 18. That person would serve through December; several candidates are already running in a June 2 primary election to replace him next January.
Drewes said she met Swalwell three times in total in 2018 and did not see him again after the third time, when the alleged assault took place. She provided reporters a photo that her attorneys said showed one of their meetings, during an opening of a Beverly Hills restaurant. The restaurant opened in late April 2018, according to news reports.
One of her attorneys, Lisa Bloom, said she would be filing a complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office later Tuesday, which will include text messages between the two, journal entries in which Drews said she recorded the incident at the time and information about people whom she told about the alleged assault. Drewes also told reporters she sought therapy afterward at a center for assault survivors in Connecticut.
This has been updated with a statement from Swalwell’s attorney.
