BREAKING: Woman accuses Eric Swalwell of drugging, raping her in California hotel room in 2018

In a press conference on Tuesday, a woman in California accused outgoing Rep Eric Swalwell of drugging and raping her in 2018. The accusation comes amid a number of other women coming forth with stories of sexual misconduct, leading to Swalwell announcing that he will be resigning from Congress.

Lonna Drewes said she became friends with Swalwell while she worked as a model in Beverly Hills and owned a fashion software company. She said that Swalwell had "offered me connections to further my software company," and had invited her to public events. 

She said that in 2018, "I believe he drugged my drink. 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 I couldn’t move my arms or my body."

"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."

She said that while she didn’t undergo a rape kit at the time, she told those closest to her about the assault and recorded the events in her calendar. "The assault and its impact were later documented during my therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut."

She said the incident "had a profound impact on my mental health. I self-medicated in an unhealthy way. I did not want to live anymore. I cried all the time for years. At the time, I was in a dating relationship with a boyfriend I was filly committed to. I’ve never cheated in my life, and I would never have engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with Eric Swalwell."

She said her delay in coming out "was driven by fear, not doubt. Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties."