Woman says Eric Swalwell sent her 'sexually inappropriate' messages, tried to get her to come to his hotel room

A woman has spoken out for the first time about her interactions with Rep Eric Swalwell, alleging that he sent her "sexually inappropriate" messages on Snapchat while she was a college student and attempted to invite her to his hotel room. 

Annika Albrecht told CBS that she had met Swalwell while on a college class trip, in which she and other classmates met with the lawmaker to discuss topics they thought were important. She said that Swalwell had appeared interested in what the students had to say, and that at the end of the meeting, he asked the students to create a group chat so that they could continue discussing.

She said that Swalwell added her on Snapchat almost immediately after the group chat was made. "I was really surprised. I was confused. I didn't think it was him," she said. When she asked other members of the group, they said they had not been added on Snapchat. She noted that she was the only woman in the group.

She said Swalwell began talking to her "under the guise of professional mentorship," and saying that he could help her achieve her dream of becoming a chief of staff.

The messages "started to take a turn and they started to get flirty," she said, adding that she responded in a "platonic and professional manner." The message eventually crossed into "sexually inappropriate" territory. 

She said that Swalwell invited her to his hotel room one night, and it was "very clear what the connotation was." She did not respond to the message, Albrecht said. 

"I keep thinking about how lucky I am that didn't go to that hotel," she said, referring to reports of a woman saying that she had gone out with Swalwell for drinks in September of 2019, and woke up naked in his hotel bed not remembering the night before. That case is now under investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

"It was terrifying to get on the phone with those women and hear their stories about how they were drinking with him and suddenly woke up in bed next to him with no recollection of how they got there," Albrecht said. 

Amid the rising number of women coming forward with sexual misconduct allegations against the lawmaker. Swalwell announced on Monday evening that he will be resigning from his role. "I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make," Swalwell said in a statement.

"I am aware of the 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," he added. "I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th district."