House Ethics Committee Investigates Eric Swalwell After Lonna Drewes Accuses Him of Drugging and Rape

Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s rapid fall from political power unfolded after allegations of sexual assault and misconduct surfaced while he was considered a frontrunner in California’s governor race.

KRON4 said that “Just one week ago, former Congressman Eric Swalwell was considered a frontrunner in the race to become governor of California,” but that his campaign “rapidly unraveled” after an ex-staff member stepped forward with “bombshell allegations” accusing the Democrat of sexually assaulting her.

ABC30 Fresno

The BBC reported that “Another woman has alleged that Eric Swalwell raped her,” adding to “a growing list of misconduct allegations against the former Democratic lawmaker.”

In the same BBC account, Swalwell had resigned from Congress and withdrawn from the governor’s race “since accusations against him were reported on Friday,” while he denies “each and every” sexual misconduct allegation.

ABC7 San Francisco described the new accuser, Lonna Drewes, speaking at a press conference in Beverly Hills, saying she was “drugged, raped and choked” by Swalwell in 2018.

PBS said the House Ethics Committee began an investigation into whether Swalwell “engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee working under his supervision,” and that the panel announced it “Monday.”

The timeline also included a political sequence: KRON4 said Swalwell announced his run on “Nov. 20, 2025,” and that he canceled a planned town hall on “April 9, 2026,” before the San Francisco Chronicle published a story on “April 10, 2026” reporting the former staff member’s sex assault allegations.

The allegations against Swalwell were described as building quickly into a broader political and legal crisis, with multiple women coming forward and multiple investigations opening.

KRON4 laid out a sequence beginning with Swalwell’s earlier political career, including that he “became a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where he led the hate crimes unit,” and then later being elected to the “California’s 14th Congressional District” in 2012.

ABC7 San Francisco

It then moved into the allegations, saying that in 2018 “Lonna Drewes said she was working as a model and owned a Beverly Hills fashion software company when she was drugged, choked, and raped by Swalwell in his hotel room.”

KRON4 also said that in 2019 “a staff member was working for Swalwell in his Castro Valley office when he sexually assaulted her,” and that she “did not go to police at the time because she was afraid she would not be believed.”

The BBC added a separate allegation timeline, saying Drewes described being reluctant to come forward because of his “political power,” and that she said he “drugged and raped her in a hotel room in 2018.”

ABC7 San Francisco said Drewes told the story at a press conference in Beverly Hills, and quoted her describing the moment she arrived at the hotel room: “When I arrived at his hotel room I was already incapacitated, I couldn't move my arms or my body.”

The BBC also described how the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation after Drewes’ accusations, and it quoted Drewes’ statement: “I did not consent to any sexual activity.”

Multiple named figures described the allegations and the response, with Drewes and her legal team offering detailed accounts while Swalwell and his attorney denied wrongdoing and framed the timing as political.

“Another woman accuses Swalwell of rape, saying he drugged her in 2018 Another woman has alleged that Eric Swalwell raped her, adding to a growing list of misconduct allegations against the former Democratic lawmaker”

BBC

ABC7 San Francisco quoted Drewes directly, saying, “We were supposed to go to a political event and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” and then describing the alleged assault: “He raped me and he choked me and while he was choking me I lost consciousness and I thought I died.”

ABC7 also quoted attorney Lisa Bloom saying that “those journal entries, along with text messages and photographs, will be included in the forthcoming report to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department statement in ABC7 said, “The investigation remains in its preliminary stages and is ongoing,” and that investigators were “gathering information, reviewing available evidence, and conducting follow up inquiries.”

In the BBC account, Drewes’ attorney Lisa Bloom dismissed Swalwell’s earlier response as “blather and spin,” and the BBC quoted Swalwell’s attorney Sara Azari saying the accusations were “false, fabricated, and deeply offensive - a calculated and transparent political hit job.”

BBC also quoted Azari’s framing that “The timing, nature, and coordinated rollout of these vile and heinous allegations speak for themselves,” and that “This is neither about justice, nor the truth.”

PBS described the House Ethics Committee’s position that “the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”

The reporting diverged in how it framed the story’s turning points, the scope of allegations, and the institutional response, even when describing the same central figure.

KRON4 emphasized a detailed political timeline, including that “April 12, 2026: Democrats dropped their support for Swalwell’s run at the California governor’s mansion and forced him to quit the race,” and that he wrote on X, “I am suspending my campaign for Governor.”

KQED

It also described the ethics process in parallel, saying “The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into sexual misconduct against an employee who worked for Swalwell,” and that it is “against the House Code of Conduct for any member to have a sexual relationship with their staff members.”

BBC, by contrast, foregrounded the newest allegation and the legal response in Los Angeles, reporting that “The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday opened an investigation against Swalwell after Drewes' accusations,” and it quoted Drewes’ explanation for coming forward.

BBC also included additional accusers and their statements, including that the two accusers told CBS News they were “grateful he was facing consequences now and leaving Congress after acting with impunity for years,” and it quoted Cheyenne Hunt saying “more than 30 women had contacted her alleging some type of misconduct from Swalwell since she posted her first video on the issue.”

USA Today focused on the cross-country nature of investigations, asking “Why is Manhattan investigating Eric Swalwell? What we know about probe,” and it described the Manhattan district attorney’s office urging possible victims to reach out to the “Special Victims Division.”

KQED, meanwhile, centered on the media investigation itself, saying “When the San Francisco Chronicle published the story of a woman accusing Rep. Eric Swalwell of rape, his surging gubernatorial campaign collapsed within days.”

The consequences described in the sources extended beyond Swalwell’s campaign, reaching Congress, ethics review, and a special election to fill his seat.

“CASTRO VALLEY, Calif”

KRON4

KRON4 said that “April 13, 2026: Swalwell announced he will resign from Congress,” and that “April 14, 2026: Governor Gavin Newsom set a special election for Aug. 18 to fill the House seat vacated by Swalwell.”

KRON4

It also said that the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation and that Democrats “forced him to quit the race,” while Swalwell wrote, “I am suspending my campaign for Governor.”

PBS described the House Ethics Committee’s investigation as beginning after Swalwell suspended his campaign, and it quoted Swalwell’s social media post: “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that's my fight, not a campaign's.”

ABC7 San Francisco described the ethics committee investigation as “launched an investigation into the 45-year-old Congressman's actions,” and it said the decision “caps a swift political fall” for the seven-term lawmaker.

In Los Angeles, ABC7 said the Sheriff’s Department would present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office “for filing consideration” once the investigation is completed.

BBC said the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was also investigating Swalwell over allegations from an unnamed former staff member, and it described that the woman in the newspaper article said she woke up “naked in his hotel bed in 2019” with “fuzzy memories” after going out for drinks.