OAN Staff Brooke Mallory and Lillian Mann
5:16 PM – Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Following the political collapse of now-former Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell, amid multiple women coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against him, the situation appears to be worsening for the former gubernatorial candidate.
The allegations surfaced last week, prompting his immediate withdrawal from the California governor’s race and his subsequent resignation from Congress. Now, yet again, another woman has stepped forward to allege that Swalwell drugged and sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2018.
On top of that, the situation involving Swalwell and billionaire Stephen Cloobeck has also grown far more serious. Cloobeck, the founder of Diamond Resorts and a long-time financial benefactor to Swalwell, recently confronted the politician at his California mansion.
Cloobeck, who had initially hosted Swalwell out of concern for his mental health during the onslaught of the scandal, later declared that the representative “busted the trust,” prompting the billionaire to demand that he leave the property immediately.
The financial component of the dispute involves Cloobeck’s desire to claw back approximately $1 million in campaign support and donations. The billionaire expressed profound disappointment and disgust, noting that he cannot support Swalwell in light of the “heinous” nature of the claims. He even declared that he now wishes to be identified as a Libertarian rather than a Democrat.
“F—ing tell everyone I’m a Libertarian. F— you, Democrat Party. I’m a Libertarian now,” he told The Post.
While Swalwell has claimed innocence and recently released a video from the mansion denying the claims before his departure, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has reportedly opened an investigation into the matter. Additionally, as of Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has officially opened an investigation into the former congressman as well.
The investigation is being handled by the LASD’s Special Victims Bureau since the purported incident occurred in West Hollywood, which falls under their jurisdiction rather than the LAPD’s.
Meanwhile, the timing of this split has also left the California gubernatorial race in a state of flux, as Swalwell was previously a frontrunner. With Cloobeck withdrawing his influential endorsement and seeking a return of his funds, the scandal has shifted from a political crisis to a personal and legal battle.
Lonna Drewes
Swalwell’s latest sexual assault accuser, Lonna Drewes, told the press that she believed she had a friendly relationship with Swalwell at first, adding that the horrific incident occurred in West Hollywood after she consumed a drink that she believes had been tampered with.
In a recent interview, Drewes claimed that Swalwell had presented himself as someone who could help advance her fashion software company, but ultimately destroyed her life and left her “crying all the time.”
Drewes noted that she plans to take the allegations to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, along with supporting materials including text messages, photographs, and journal entries from the period in question.
“After meeting, he offered me connections to further my software company, and I also had an interest in local politics. He invited me to two public events. I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant. He was my friend. On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine.
“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 over my body. He [then] raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness. I thought I died.”
“I did not consent to any sexual activity, 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.”
“It had a profound impact 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. At the time, I was in a dating relationship with a boyfriend I was fully committed to.”
“I’ve never cheated in my life, and I would never have engaged in a consensual sexual encounter … It was a politically unusual, intense time in Beverly Hills, and I was considering a run for city council, which placed me in proximity to political figures and events, and added to the pressure to remain composed and silent.”
“Eric was aware I owned a software company, and he spoke repeatedly about his ability to make introductions, referencing his political representation and influence there. I was not interested in him romantically, but I was interested in the business relationship and professional connections he offered to provide.”
“My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by fear, not doubt, fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties. I have never doubted what happened. I stand with the other women who have come forward, and I will be making a report to Law Enforcement shortly with my attorneys.”
Other Swalwell Accusers Come Forward With Their Stories: ‘He thought he was untouchable’
Two other women who have accused Swalwell of sending unwanted explicit photos say that while they feel “vindicated” now that he has dropped out from California’s gubernatorial race and resigned from Congress, they still believe there is much work to be done.
Both women maintain that these political exits are only a starting point, further asserting that significant work remains to address the broader issues at hand.
The sequence of events was set in motion approximately two weeks ago, when one of the two women, Annika Albrecht, shared a detailed video with her long-time friend, Cheyenne Hunt. Albrecht felt an urgent necessity to come forward, noting that the prospect of Swalwell ascending to the governorship of California made her feel “physically sick and nauseous.”
Following the rapid collapse of Swalwell’s political career on Monday, Albrecht reflected on the speed of the fallout, noting that only eleven days passed between her initial outreach to Hunt and the moment the “dam broke” with widespread media coverage — a period she described as the longest eleven days of their lives.
Albrecht brought her allegations on Swalwell to the public after he suddenly resigned from Congress on Monday, stating, “eleven days is how long it took from when I reached out to [Hunt] to make the video to when the dam broke and all the articles were published,” Albrecht said, calling them “the longest 11 days of our lives.”
“He was pushed into a corner, essentially, because they were planning to expel him… so I think he did that to save face a little,” Ally Sammarco, another one of the accusers, told CBS News. “But I also felt very vindicated that he realized it was over for him.”
“We didn’t know each other before. I didn’t know any of the other women,” Sammarco continued. “I knew nothing about them. We got connected through this process, and I’m so glad we did.”
Both Albrecht and Sammarco told the outlet that they had both received unsolicited explicit photos from Swalwell via Snapchat, a messaging and photo app that deletes messages after they are sent.
“He thought he was untouchable. He acted with total impunity. He never thought that the consequences of his actions would follow him,” Sammarco added.
According to them, Swalwell utilized his political standing to initiate inappropriate contact under the guise of professional networking or mentorship. Sammarco, who met Swalwell in 2021 while working an entry-level campaign role at age 24, claimed the congressman insisted on communicating via Snapchat.
Despite her initial reservations about a married man in his 40s utilizing an app known for disappearing messages, she complied to avoid jeopardizing a potential career connection. She alleges that while their correspondence began professionally, it gradually devolved into explicit exchanges, culminating in Swalwell sending her unsolicited nude photographs.
Albrecht shared a strikingly similar account with the press, detailing an interaction that began after meeting Swalwell during a college class trip. Although Swalwell reportedly created a group chat for the students, Albrecht noted that she was the only woman in the group and the only one he added individually on Snapchat.
While she initially viewed the connection as a mentorship opportunity, Albrecht claims the dialogue quickly became “sexually inappropriate.” This pattern of behavior purportedly escalated until Swalwell eventually invited her to his hotel room, further blurring the lines between his public office and his private conduct.
“I keep thinking about how lucky I am that I didn’t go to that hotel,” Albrecht said, adding that she immediately stopped responding to him.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed to CBS News on Sunday that it is currently investigating allegations against Swalwell.
In addition to the public allegations, a fifth accuser, who currently remains anonymous, has leveled a charge of sexual assault against Swalwell stemming from an incident in New York City in 2024. The woman alleges that the assault occurred in her hotel room following a charity gala. According to her account, she had been heavily inebriated and woke up to find Swalwell assaulting her.
This unidentified woman’s claims further expand the scope of the accusations currently surrounding the former congressman’s conduct. Nonetheless, despite Swalwell’s reputational collapse, Albrecht insisted that justice wouldn’t be served for her just yet.
“For me, justice won’t be until he can’t ever harm a woman ever again, and he has faced the consequences for the women that he has harmed,” Albrecht stated. “I think we just prevented another 30 to 40 years, potentially, of him harming people if he were to stay in Congress. So in that sense I think we have served justice for his future victims.”
Beyond the five primary accusers, Hunt has reported that upwards of 30 women have contacted her to share various accounts of alleged sexual misconduct by Swalwell. While these individuals have contributed to the growing number of complaints, they have not yet chosen to come forward publicly with their identities or the specific details of their experiences.
This substantial influx of private testimonies suggests a broader pattern of behavior that extends well beyond the initial public allegations.
“This fight is not over. We’re just getting started,” Hunt declared, adding, “It’s clear that there needs to be another reckoning,”
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