一名女子说，她在社交上遇到了前民主党众议员埃里克·斯瓦尔韦尔(Eric Swalwell)，她在周二的新闻发布会上说，这位议员在2018年强奸了她，并认为他在两人计划参加政治活动时在她的饮料中下药。
Lonna Drewes是至少六名对Swalwell提出不正当性行为指控的女性之一周二从国会辞职一天前，众议院道德委员会宣布正在调查这些指控。斯威尔韦尔暂停了他竞选加州州长的活动星期一。
洛杉矶县治安官部门宣布，他们正在对Drewes对Swalwell的指控展开调查。
Drewes说，她当时是一名模特，住在贝弗利山庄，拥有一家时尚软件公司，她说她和Swalwell在“社交上见过他后的三个不同场合”有过接触，她认为他是她的“朋友”。她说，2018年在加州发生的事件是Swalwell第三次邀请她参加公共活动，并补充说Swalwell的妻子当时怀孕了。
“我相信他在我的饮料里下了药。我只喝了一杯酒。他-我们应该去参加一个政治活动，他说他需要从他的酒店房间拿文件。当我到达他的酒店房间时，我已经丧失了行动能力，我不能移动我的胳膊和身体。他强奸了我，还掐了我的脖子。当他掐死我的时候，我失去了知觉，我以为我死了。我不同意任何性行为。"
美国广播公司新闻还没有独立证实Drewes的指控。
在Drewes的新闻发布会后发表的一份声明中，Swalwell的律师萨拉·阿扎里(Sara Azari)表示，这位国会议员“明确无误地否认了对他提出的每一项性行为不端和性侵犯的指控”，并称这些女性的指控是“精心策划和透明的政治暗杀，旨在摧毁一个在公共服务领域工作了20年的人的声誉。”
“我们将以国会议员的公共服务所体现的同样的坚韧、勇气和信念，与这些卑鄙和毫无根据的指控作斗争。我们相信真相终将大白，我们将对策划这场应受谴责的谎言运动的人采取一切可用的法律补救措施，”她说。
美国广播公司新闻部联系了斯威尔，请他对新的指控发表评论。
在她的新闻发布会上，Drewes说所谓的事件对她造成了伤害。
“这对我的心理健康产生了深远的影响。我用不健康的方式自我治疗。我不想再活了。我哭了很多年，”她说。
她说她害怕指控一个有权势的人。
“我之所以迟迟不对埃里克采取行动，是因为我害怕，而不是怀疑，”德韦斯说。"对他的政治权力、律师背景和家庭执法关系的恐惧."
然而，她补充说，她的经历被记录在治疗过程中，并向她身边的人透露。
“虽然我当时没有接受强奸测试，但我向我最亲近的人透露了这次袭击。我还在我的手写日历上记录了这些事件。德雷斯说:“后来，我在康涅狄格州的一个性侵犯中心接受治疗时，记录了那次侵犯及其影响。
Drewes补充说，她计划提交一份警方报告，说:“我从来没有怀疑过发生了什么。我和其他挺身而出的女性站在一起，我将很快向执法部门报告。”
她的律师丽莎·布鲁姆说，他们将“立即”向警方提交报告，并将向当局提供证据...包括短信、日记、照片和目击者信息。”
布鲁姆还直接对斯威尔说:“你最近说你并不完美，你不是圣人，这只是胡说八道。别说了。你关于这只是你和你妻子之间的事情的声明是可笑的，如果不是因为这是对受害者的侮辱，”她说。
德韦斯的另一位律师Arick Fudali也强调了问责的必要性。
“这不是民主党对共和党的问题。这是责任对沉默。这不是追求州长，这是追求正义。这不是关于你是在过道的右边还是左边。这是关于正义、真相和责任是在左边还是右边，”福达利说。
Drewes的新闻发布会之前，另一名女子在周二哥伦比亚广播公司播出的采访中公开了对Swalwell的指控。
安妮卡·阿尔布雷特说，在她上大学时，在一次学生团体访问华盛顿特区时，她遇到了Swalwell，Swalwell给她发了挑衅性的信息，并邀请她在一家酒店见面。
“他提出要指导我。那是，作为一个当时对政治几乎一无所知的人，这是一个非常慷慨的提议，我感到非常幸运，”阿尔布雷特说。
她告诉CBS，Swalwell将所有的大学生都添加到了一个群聊中，但后来只在消息应用Snapchat上添加了她，她说她开始收到这位议员的第一条政治消息，后来又收到了挑衅性的消息。
“最终，他邀请我去一家酒店见他，”阿尔布雷特说。“它的内涵非常清楚。在那一点上，我完全停止了反应。我一直在想，我没有去那家酒店是多么幸运。”
上周,《旧金山纪事报》发表了一名女子的描述，该女子没有透露身份，她说自己21岁时被雇佣到Swalwell的地区办公室当实习生，Swalwell曾两次性侵她，当时她醉得无法同意。此外，CNN还报道了另外三名女性对Swalwell不当行为的详细指控。
美国广播公司新闻还不能证实所有的指控，包括旧金山纪事报和CNN报道的那些。
美国广播公司新闻采访了社交媒体内容创作者艾丽·萨马科，她说她遇到斯瓦尔韦尔时才24岁，斯瓦尔韦尔指责这位立法者在2021年向她发送不当信息和未经请求的裸照。
萨马科告诉ABC新闻，她正在为特里·麦考利夫竞选弗吉尼亚州州长的活动工作，并在国会山寻找工作。
她说，他们谈到了在弗吉尼亚州的比赛，然后Swalwell给了萨马科他的个人手机号码，她说他开始问她“更多的私人问题”
她说，2021年9月，他们开始在Snapchat上发消息，她说他主动提出帮她寄简历和找工作。据美国广播公司新闻频道查阅的短信显示，他邀请她去他在国会山的办公室。
萨马科说，他最初说她可以见他的员工，但当她到达时，她说他陪同她到了他的办公室，她“除了他谁也没见”
她告诉ABC新闻据称，在2021年10月的某个时候，Swalwell主动给她发了一张他阴茎的照片，她说这让她觉得“恶心”，他“在推动性议程”。
众议院道德委员会周一宣布，将对针对他的指控展开调查。
在周一发布的一份声明中X，Swalwell发帖称，他对他的家人，工作人员和选民“深感抱歉”，但“他将对抗对我的严重，虚假的指控。”
“我知道有人试图立即投票驱逐我和其他成员。在指控提出后的几天内，不经正当程序驱逐国会中的任何人是错误的，”Swalwell说。“但我的选民分散我的职责也是错误的。因此，我打算辞去我在国会的席位。”
自从指控曝光后，一些Swalwell的民主党同事要求他辞职。
众议院道德规则禁止议员与实习生或职员之间的性关系，但众议院不能调查超过三届国会任期之前发生的事件。
Woman accuses former Rep. Eric Swalwell of raping her in 2018
A woman who said she met former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell socially said in a news conference Tuesday that the congressman raped her in 2018 and believes he drugged her drink when the two were planning to attend a political event.
Lonna Drewes is one of at least six women who have made allegations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell, whoresigned from Congress on Tuesday, a day after the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating the allegations. Swalwellsuspended his campaign for California governoron Monday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced it is launching an investigation into Drewes' allegations against Swalwell.
Drewes, who said she was working as a model and living in Beverly Hills at the time and owned a fashion software company, said she and Swalwell had contact on “three separate occasions after meeting him socially” and she believed he was her “friend.” She said the 2018 incident in California was the third time Swalwell invited her to a public event, adding that Swalwell’s wife was pregnant at the time.
“I believe he drugged my drink.I only had one glass of wine. He -- we were supposed to go to a political event, and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room," she said. "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.”
ABC News has not independently verified Drewes’ accusations.
In a statement issued after Drewes' news conference, Sara Azari, a lawyer for Swalwell, said the congressman "categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him" and called the women's allegations "a calculated and transparent political hit job designed to destroy the reputation of a man who has spent twenty years in public service."
"We will fight these despicable and baseless accusations with the same tenacity, courage, and conviction that has defined the Congressman's public service. We are confident that the truth will prevail, and we will pursue every available legal remedy against those responsible for orchestrating this reprehensible campaign of lies,”she said.
During her news conference, Drewes said the alleged incident took a toll on her.
“It had a profound effect 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,” she said.
She said she was afraid to make accusations against a powerful man.
“My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by my fear, not doubt,” Drewes said. “Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties.”
However, she added that her experience was documented in therapy sessions and disclosed to those close to her.
“Although I did not undergo a rape kit at the time, I disclosed the assault to the people closest to me. I also recorded these events in my handwritten calendar. The assault and its impact were later documented during my therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut,” Drewes said.
Drewes added she plans to file a police report, saying, “I have never doubted what happened. I stand with the other women who have come forward, and I will be making reports to law enforcement shortly.”
Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said they will file a police report “immediately,” and that they will provide authorities with evidence“ ... including text messages, journal entries, photograph, and witness information.”
Bloom also spoke directly to Swalwell: “Your recent statement that you are just not perfect, you are not a saint, is just blather and spin. Stop it. 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,” she said.
Arick Fudali, another of Drewes' attorneys, also emphasized the need for accountability.
“This is not about Democrat versus Republican. This is accountability versus silence. This is not about the pursuit of governor, this is about the pursuit of justice. This is not about whether you are on the right side or the left side of the aisle. This is about whether on the left or right side of justice, truth, and accountability,” Fudali said.
Drewes' news conference came after another woman went public with allegations against Swalwell in an interview that aired Tuesday on CBS.
Annika Albrecht said that Swalwell sent her provocative messages and invited her to meet him at a hotel after she met him during a student group visit to Washington, D.C., while she was in college.
“He offered to mentor me. That was, as someone who knew virtually nothing about politics at the time or no one, that was just an incredibly generous offer that I felt very lucky to have,” Albrecht said.
She told CBS that Swalwell added all of the college students to a group chat but then only added her on the messaging app Snapchat, where she said she began to receive first political and later provocative messages from the congressman.
“Ultimately, it reached a point where he invited me to a hotel to meet him,” Albrecht said. “It was very clear what the connotation was. At that point, I completely stopped responding. What I keep thinking back to is how lucky I am that I didn't go to that hotel.”
Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle published the account of a woman, who it did not identify, who said she was hired at age 21 to work as an intern in Swalwell's district office and that Swalwell had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent. In addition, CNN has reported on three additional women who detailed allegations of inappropriate conduct by Swalwell.
ABC News has not been able to corroborate all of the alleged accounts, including those reported by The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.
ABC News spoke with Ally Sammarco, a social media content creator who said she was 24 at the time she met Swalwell, who accused the lawmaker of sending her inappropriate messages and an unsolicited nude picture of himself in 2021.
Sammarco told ABC News that she was working on Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for Virginia governor and was looking for a job on Capitol Hill.
She said they spoke about the race in Virginia, and then Swalwell gave Sammarco his personal cell number, where she says he started to ask her “more personal questions.”
In September 2021, she says they began messaging on Snapchat, where she said he offered to help send her resume and find a job. He invited her to his office on Capitol Hill, according to text messages reviewed by ABC News.
Sammarco said he initially said she could meet his staff, but when she arrived, she said he escorted her in his office, and she "didn't meet anybody but him.”
She told ABC News thatsometime in October of 2021, Swalwell allegedly sent her an unsolicited picture of his penis, which she said made her feel “gross” and that he was “pushing a sexual agenda.”
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it was launching an investigation into the allegations against him.
In a statement posted Monday onX, Swalwell posted that he is “deeply sorry” to his family, staff and constituents but that “he will fight the serious, false allegation made against me.”
"I am aware of 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,” Swalwell said. “But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress."
A number of Swalwell's Democratic colleagues called for him to resign since the allegations came to light.
House Ethics rules prohibit sexual relationships between members and interns or staffers but the House cannot investigate an incident occurring more than three terms of Congress ago.
