Eric Swalwell’s frequent hotel stays courtesy of his campaigns may have created a damning paper trail.
The California Post has confirmed the disgraced Democratic ex-congressman charged a congressional campaign for a hotel room at the Montrose West Hollywood on July 18, 2018, which aligns with the date and location of an alleged rape incident reported Tuesday to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by Lonna Drewes.
Drewes, a 50-year-old model, publicly accused Swalwell — who in the last week has suspended his campaign for California governor, resigned from Congress after accusations of rape and became the focus of criminal investigations in Manhattan and Los Angeles — of sexually assaulting her during a 2018 encounter at a West Hollywood hotel room during a press conference Tuesday.
Drewes was the latest woman to come forward after two bombshell reports last week detailing allegations from several women. She alleged the then-congressman, whose wife Brittany was pregnant at the time, lured her to his room under the pretense of helping advance her fashion software company.
“We were supposed to go to a political event, and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” Drewes said.
“When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn’t move my arms over my body. He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness. I thought I died.”
The Sheriff’s Department told The Post it is investigating a rape allegation made by a woman against Swalwell stemming from an incident in July 2018 on the 900 block of Hammond Street in West Hollywood, which corresponds with the location of the Montrose West Hollywood hotel.
“The investigation remains in its preliminary stages and is ongoing,” authorities said. “Investigators are in the process of gathering information, reviewing available evidence, and conducting follow up inquiries as part of a comprehensive investigative process.”
The department’s Special Victims Bureau, which focuses on investigating felonious sexual assaults, is handling the matter. Once the probe is complete, officials said the findings will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for potential charges.
Rumors of Swalwell having extramarital affairs have been well known for years in D.C.’s political bubble, but his frequent use of hotels on campaign tabs are now being viewed in a new light. Federal records show that Swalwell made two charges at the Montorse West Hollywood on July 2018 — one for $353.19 and another for $7.67.
The Post previously reported on questions about Swalwell’s residency in California, as his neighbors in Livermore have never met him and he often stayed at luxury hotels when returning to his East Bay district.
Just last year, Swalwell made 19 different charges to his gubernatorial campaign at the luxury hotel Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, according to federal campaign records. Swalwell’s frequent campaigning and rubbing elbows with celebrities led him to miss the most votes of any active member of Congress by the end of last year.
In 2023 and 2024, Swalwell made 24 charges at hotels in San Francisco, mostly staying at the five-star 1 Hotel San Francisco on the Embarcadero as well as the waterfront boutique inn Hotel Griffon.
During that same time period, Swalwell racked up nine different charges at The Rose Hotel in Pleasanton, a luxury boutique inn located less than eight miles from his supposed home in Livermore. The congressman also had three charges with the hotel that appear to have been overturned, totaling almost $1,739.
Early in the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, Swalwell also stayed at the Rose Hotel in Pleasanton despite claiming to live in the district. He also logged charges at the Fairmont Hotel and Hotel Adagio in San Francisco.
Swalwell, who has denied any criminal behavior but admitted to indiscretions, hired hotshot anti-MeToo movement lawyer Sara Azari to combat the latest allegations from Drewes — and the attorney came out swinging Tuesday.
“These accusations are false, fabricated, and deeply offensive — a calculated and transparent political hit job designed to destroy the reputation of a man who has spent twenty years in public service,” Azari said in a statement.
“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.”
