A woman named Lana Drews stood before cameras at a Beverly Hills press conference and accused Rep. Eric Swalwell of drugging her drink, raping her, and choking her until she lost consciousness during a 2018 hotel room encounter. Her public statement makes her at least the fifth woman to level allegations of sexual misconduct against the California Democrat, who now faces a criminal probe by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and a congressional investigation.
Drews did not mince words. As NBC News reported, she described a night that began with a single glass of wine and ended with her believing she was dead.
"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 sexual activity."
Swalwell has denied the allegations against him and has stated he is not guilty. But the legal walls are closing in from multiple directions, and the sheer number of accusers now speaking publicly has turned what began as media reports into a full-blown criminal and congressional crisis for the six-term congressman.
Drews told reporters that the incident took place during a 2018 encounter in a hotel room. She said she had consumed only one glass of wine before she believes Swalwell drugged her drink. As the Washington Examiner reported, Drews described the sequence in stark terms at the press conference.
"On the third occasion, I believe, he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine."
She alleged that Swalwell then raped her and choked her until she blacked out. Her attorneys announced she is filing a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office and plans to provide text messages, journal entries, photographs, and witness information to investigators.
The decision to file a formal police report signals that Drews and her legal team intend to push the matter beyond the press conference stage. Law enforcement in Los Angeles County will need to determine whether the evidence she provides supports a criminal investigation on the West Coast, separate from the probe already underway in New York.
Drews is not the first accuser to describe hesitation about confronting a sitting member of Congress. Fox News reported that she said fear of Swalwell's political power kept her from speaking out for years. That dynamic, a private citizen weighing her word against a congressman's institutional authority, runs through nearly every account that has surfaced.
The question of why accusers wait is familiar in sexual assault cases, but it carries a distinct weight when the accused holds federal office. Congressional power brings staff resources, media access, legal counsel, and a platform that few private individuals can match. Drews' attorneys appear to be building a case designed to neutralize that imbalance by putting documentary evidence directly into law enforcement hands.
Swalwell is not the only sitting lawmaker facing serious misconduct scrutiny on Capitol Hill. A Florida Republican has already moved to expel Swalwell from Congress over the sexual assault allegations, a procedural step that reflects the gravity of the charges even before any criminal adjudication.
The legal pressure on Swalwell extends well beyond California. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed it has opened a sex assault investigation into allegations against the congressman. A spokesperson for DA Alvin Bragg's office issued a public appeal, as the New York Post reported.
"We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373."
That public call for additional witnesses is a standard but telling move by prosecutors. It suggests the DA's office believes there may be more victims or corroborating witnesses beyond those who have already come forward. The Special Victims Division handles cases involving sexual assault, and its involvement means trained prosecutors and investigators are now reviewing the matter.
The Manhattan DA's investigation centers in part on allegations from a former Swalwell staffer. That woman told CNN that after an April 2024 charity gala in New York City, she was heavily intoxicated, woke up in her hotel room, and found Swalwell assaulting her.
"I was pushing him off of me, saying no," the former staffer told CNN. "He didn't stop."
The same staffer referenced an earlier alleged incident from 2019 involving Swalwell. Investigators will need to determine whether these separate accounts share patterns that could strengthen or complicate a prosecution.
Just The News reported that the Manhattan DA's office went further in its public statement, describing its capacity to handle sensitive cases. The office said its "specially trained prosecutors, investigators, and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner," language directed at potential witnesses or victims who may still be weighing whether to come forward.
That phrasing is deliberate. Prosecutors use it to lower the barrier for reluctant witnesses, particularly in cases involving powerful public figures. Whether additional individuals contact the Special Victims Division remains to be seen, but the public nature of the appeal puts Swalwell on notice that the investigation's scope could widen.
Swalwell's troubles are not limited to sexual misconduct allegations. The FBI recently moved to release investigative files related to Swalwell's ties to an alleged Chinese operative, a separate controversy that has dogged him for years and raised questions about his judgment and fitness for office.
Drews appears to be the fifth woman to publicly accuse Swalwell of rape or sexual misconduct. The allegations span multiple years and multiple locations, from California to New York. CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle have both reported on women's accounts, and the growing number of accusers has transformed the story from a single disputed claim into a pattern that prosecutors and congressional investigators must now evaluate.
Swalwell has announced plans to resign, though he maintains he is not guilty. The timing of his resignation announcement, coming amid overlapping criminal and congressional probes, raises obvious questions about whether the departure is strategic or reflects the weight of the allegations.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether any of the accusers' accounts have been corroborated by physical evidence or independent witnesses. Investigators will need to determine whether the text messages, journal entries, and photographs Drews' attorneys plan to submit support her version of events. They will also need to assess whether the separate New York and Los Angeles allegations can be investigated in coordination or must proceed on independent tracks.
The congressional investigation adds another layer. Lawmakers weighing misconduct allegations against a colleague operate under different rules and standards than criminal prosecutors, and the two processes can run in parallel without one controlling the other. The recent ethics case against Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick demonstrated how quickly congressional accountability proceedings can escalate once findings are made.
The immediate next steps are procedural but consequential. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office will receive Drews' police report and supporting materials. The Manhattan DA's Special Victims Division will continue its probe. Congressional investigators will pursue their own review. Each track operates independently, but findings in one could influence the others.
Swalwell's legal team will need to respond on multiple fronts simultaneously. Defending against criminal investigations in two states while managing a congressional probe and a public resignation is a legal and political challenge of the highest order.
No charges have been filed against Swalwell in any jurisdiction. He remains innocent under the law unless and until proven guilty. But the volume of allegations, the involvement of two law enforcement jurisdictions, and the public nature of the accusers' statements have created a situation that cannot be resolved by denial alone.
When five women say the same thing about one man in power, the system owes them more than silence. Whether that system delivers accountability or falls short will say as much about the institutions involved as it does about the congressman.
