Ex-congressman Eric Swalwell faces second sexual assault probe
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Ms Lonna Drewes (centre) speaking at a press conference in Beverly Hills, California, on April 14, where she accused US Representative Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
- Lonna Drewes accuses Eric Swalwell of drugging and raping her in 2018, detailing the alleged assault at a press conference. She says, “I thought I died.”
- Swalwell resigned from Congress and ended his California governor campaign after multiple sexual misconduct allegations, including rape claims in 2024.
- Swalwell denies the allegations, vowing to fight "the serious, false allegation". The Manhattan DA investigates, and Steyer and Porter are now top governor candidates.
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NEW YORK - A second woman came forward to accuse Mr Eric Swalwell of rape, on April 14, as the California Democrat and would-be governor resigned his seat in Congress, leaving him the subject of sexual assault investigations by law enforcement on both US coasts.
Former Beverly Hills model and software entrepreneur Lonna Drewes is also the fifth woman to accuse Mr Swalwell of sexual misconduct in recent days, deepening a scandal that prompted him to announce his resignation from the US House of Representatives on April 13.
His resignation became effective on the afternoon of April 14, two days after he bowed out of the California governor’s race, in which he had been a leading candidate, as political support and endorsements rapidly eroded.
The 45-year-old politician, who is married with three children, “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been levelled against him”, according to a statement issued by his attorney.
The statement described the allegations as politically motivated fabrications.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it was investigating a sexual assault allegation against Mr Swalwell, stemming from a July 2018 incident at a West Hollywood place of business.
It did not name the alleged victim or give further details.
But the statement came several hours after Ms Drewes appeared at a news conference with her attorneys in Beverly Hills to accuse Mr Swalwell of assaulting her in 2018.
Ms Drewes tearfully described an alleged encounter with Mr Swalwell in which she said the lawmaker had spiked her glass of wine with an intoxicant that left her immobilised, then “he raped me”.
She said the assault occurred after she had accompanied Mr Swalwell to his hotel room, ostensibly so he could retrieve some paperwork on their way to a political event together, and that she was “already incapacitated” by the time they reached his room.
“I couldn’t move my arms or my body,” she told reporters, adding that at one point during the assault, Mr Swalwell choked her, and that she lost consciousness.
“I thought I had died,” Ms Drewes said, adding, “I did not consent to any sexual activity.”
A picture showing Lonna Drewes (left) and former Democratic US representative Eric Swalwell that was presented at the press conference.
PHOTO: AFP
Ms Drewes recounted that she and Swalwell had met socially some time before, that she had joined him at two previous public events at his invitation, and that he had “offered me connections to further my software company”.
“I knew he was married at the time, and that his wife was pregnant. He was my friend,” said Ms Drewes, who recalled that she was then considering a run for City Council.
Ms Drewes said her delay in going public “was driven by fear” of Mr Swalwell’s “political power”.
Four previous accusers
Mr Swalwell ended his campaign on April 12 shortly after The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported that a woman who previously worked in his district office had accused him of two non-consensual sexual encounters.
The woman told CNN that Mr Swalwell raped her during a 2024 encounter, after she had left his staff, in a New York City hotel.
The former aide, whom the Chronicle and CNN did not name, was quoted as saying she had been too intoxicated on both occasions to consent.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office on April 11 confirmed it was investigating the case.
CNN also reported that three other women levelled sexual misconduct allegations against Mr Swalwell, including accusations that he had sent them explicit text messages and unsolicited photos of his genitals.
Mr Swalwell, who was first elected to Congress in 2012 and was a frequent voice for his party on cable news programmes, apologised on social media on April 13 for “mistakes in judgments I’ve made in my past” and vowed to fight “the serious, false allegation” against him.
The statement by Mr Swalwell’s lawyer, Ms Sara Azari, described the allegations against her client as a “calculated and transparent political hit job”.
Mr Swalwell’s departure leaves a crowded and fragmented Democratic field of low-polling contenders led by billionaire Tom Steyer and former representative Katie Porter, all vying to succeed Mr Gavin Newsom, who is nearing the end of his second four-year term and barred by term limits from running again.
No Republican has won a statewide election in California since 2006.
But Mr Swalwell’s departure is seen as possibly providing an unexpected opening for two Republican candidates, including Mr Steve Hilton, endorsed by US President Donald Trump, to advance to the general election in California’s non-partisan top-two primary race in June.
Mr Newsom on April 14 set a special election for Aug 18 to temporarily fill Mr Swalwell’s House seat in the San Francisco Bay area. REUTERS
