Woman says Eric Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her: 'I thought I died'

CongressWoman says Eric Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her: 'I thought I died'Swalwell on Monday announced he was resigning from Congress amid a swirl of allegations.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to Google'I thought I died': Woman says Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her in 201802:53Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 14, 2026, 1:20 PM EDTBy Dareh Gregorian and Chloe AtkinsRep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is facing a new sexual assault allegation from a woman who said he drugged, raped and choked her in a California hotel room.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content."He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness," the woman, Lonna Drewes, said Tuesday at a press conference with her attorneys of the alleged 2018 encounter. "I thought I died."An attorney for Swalwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously admitted to making “mistakes” but has called accusations of sexual assault “flat false.” Drewes said she had contact with Swalwell on a few separate occasions and that the first two encounters were friendly. "He offered me connections to further my software company," she said. On the third encounter, she said she believes he "drugged my drink." She said he lured her to his hotel room by telling her he needed to get some paperwork before they went to a political event. By the time she got there, she said she couldn't move - and Swalwell then raped and choked her. “I would never have engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with Eric Swalwell,” she said.The encounter had "a profound impact on my mental health," she said. "I did not want to live anymore." She said she did not have any contact with Swalwell afterwards. She did not file a police report at the time, but that she "disclosed the assault to the people closest to me. I also recorded these events in my handwritt...