‘I thought I died’: Beverly Hills model says Eric Swalwell ‘raped me and he choked me’
A Beverly Hills model is the fifth woman to claim Eric Swalwell raped her, as the scandal-plagued Democrat officially submitted his resignation to Congress on Tuesday.
Lonna Drewes alleges the potentially criminal conduct took place in 2018, indicating she became incapacitated after a single glass of wine.
“I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine,” she said.
“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.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: Jaw-dropping moment as Rep. Eric Swalwell accuser SPILLS IT ALL on national TV
“He r*ped me and he choked me.”
Omg.
“While he was choking me I lost consciousness. I thought I died.”
“I believe he DRUGGED MY DRINK…I only had one glass of wine.”
“I did not… pic.twitter.com/VO4g41CUH4
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
“I knew that he was married at the time and his wife was pregnant,” she explained.
“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.”
Lonna Drewes in 2018, the year she says she met Eric Swalwell 3 times related to a fashion software company she owns. This morning Drewes held a press conference alleging that Swalwell drugged her drink on that 3rd occasion, then asked her to stop by his hotel room with him to… pic.twitter.com/XLoXA5JJaS
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) April 14, 2026
“I would never have engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with Eric Swalwell.”
“I did not want to live anymore,” she added. “I cried all the time for years.”
Swalwell has denied claims of any sexual misconduct, saying: “These allegations of sexual assault are flat false,” Swalwell said in a video posted late Friday night. “They did not happen. They have never happened.”
Hear it directly from me. These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them. pic.twitter.com/bQSlCquD1U
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 11, 2026
“I do not suggest to you in any way that I’m perfect or a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those are between me and my wife – and to her I apologize deeply for putting her into this position.”
Lisa Bloom, an attorney for Drewes, voiced a statement directly to Swalwell during Tuesday’s news conference, saying: “Your recent statement that you are just not perfect, you are not a saint, is just blather and spin. Stop it!”
BREAKING: Attorney Lisa Bloom rips Eric Swalwell while sitting beside one of the disgraced congressman’s alleged victims, calling the Democrat’s recent statement about the sexual misconduct accusations levied against him a “slap in the face to the victims.” pic.twitter.com/bqMHTTpHSB
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 14, 2026
“Your statement that this is all just a matter between you and your wife is laughable if not for the fact that it is a slap in the face to the victims.”
Top Democrats who have previously backed Swalwell, including Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries along with Sens. Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego, have all abandoned the Swalwell ship since allegations of raping numerous women emerged on a national scale this week.
It’s just been glorious to behold… pic.twitter.com/go7JSwHtbe
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) April 13, 2026
“It’s just been glorious to behold,” said actor and political activist James Woods.
WATCH LIVE: Swalwell accuser speaks at press conference after Dem resigns from Congress. https://t.co/akai7zIuLz
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 14, 2026
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