Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) officially resigned from Congress on Tuesday afternoon following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault from several women. A fifth accuser, model Lonna Drewes, detailed a 2018 rape claim at a Beverly Hills press conference, alleging the congressman drugged her drink, choked her and assaulted her in a West Hollywood hotel. Swalwell denies the serious accusations but apologized for past mistakes in judgment.
Lonna Drewes told reporters at Tuesday's press conference that she met Swalwell three times in 2018, knowing he was married with a pregnant wife. On the third occasion, after one glass of wine, she accompanied him to his hotel room for what he called paperwork but became incapacitated. “He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness,” Drewes said. “And I thought I died. I did not consent to any sexual activity.” She attributed her delay in reporting to fear of his political power and plans to file a police report soon, as confirmed by her attorney Lisa Bloom, who noted three other women have contacted her.
