Lonna Drewes, attorneys detail accusations against Eric Swalwell: Full press press conference

[0:00] Hello, everyone. [0:02] My name is Lana Drews. [0:05] In 2018, while I was living and working [0:09] as a model in Beverly Hills, and I also [0:12] owned a fashion software company, [0:16] I had contact with Eric Swalwell on three separate occasions [0:21] after meeting him socially. [0:25] He offered me connections to further my software company, [0:32] and I also had an interest in local politics. [0:36] He invited me to two public events. [0:44] I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant. [0:49] He was my friend. [0:53] On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. [1:01] I only had one glass of wine. [1:11] We were supposed to go to a political event, [1:14] and he said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room. [1:20] When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, [1:26] and I couldn't move my arms or my body. [1:34] He raped me, and he choked me. [1:42] And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, [1:47] and I thought I died. [1:51] I did not consent to any sexual activity. [1:56] Although I did not undergo a rape kit at the time, [1:59] I disclosed the assault to the people closest to me. [2:06] I also recorded these events in my handwritten calendar. [2:12] The assault and its impact were later documented during my therapy sessions [2:19] at a sexual assault center in Connecticut. [2:26] It had a profound impact on my mental health. [2:31] I self-medicated in an unhealthy way. [2:37] I did not want to live anymore. [2:42] I cried all the time for years. [2:44] At the time, I was in a dating relationship with a boyfriend I was fully committed to. [2:53] I have never cheated in my life, and I would never have engaged [2:56] in a consensual sexual encounter with Eric Swalwell. [3:04] That reality further underscores the non-consensual nature of what occurred. [3:12] It was a politically unusual and intense time in Beverly Hills, [3:16] and I was considering a run for city council, which placed me in proximity [3:21] to political figures and events and added to the pressure [3:25] to remain composed and silent. [3:31] Eric was aware I owned a software company, [3:36] and he spoke repeatedly about his ability to make introductions in Silicon Valley. [3:46] Referencing his political representation and influence there, [3:52] I was not interested in him romantically, but I was interested in the business relationship [4:00] and professional connections he offered to provide. [4:09] My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by fear, not doubt. [4:14] Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, [4:20] and his family law enforcement ties. [4:26] I have never doubted what happened. [4:28] I stand with the other women who have come forward, [4:33] and I will be making a report to law enforcement shortly with my attorneys. [4:58] Hello, my name is Eric Fudali. [5:01] I'm a partner and I'm the managing attorney of the Bloom firm, [5:04] and I'm very proud here to represent Lana. [5:08] Mr. Swalwell and others have suggested that the allegations against him have [5:14] or may have political motivations. [5:17] Those on the other side of the aisle have already begun exploiting his accusers [5:21] for political gain. [5:23] I want to say very clearly that neither myself, Lisa, nor Lana care or concern ourselves [5:31] with the political affiliation of the accused or how these allegations may or may not affect [5:37] a political campaign or a career. [5:40] This is about much more than politics, and belittling such serious allegations is offensive [5:46] to Lana and the victims everywhere. [5:49] This is not about Democrat versus Republican. [5:53] This is about accountability versus silence. [5:57] This is not about the pursuit of governor. [6:00] This is about the pursuit of justice. [6:04] This is not about whether you're on the right side or the left side of the aisle. [6:08] This is about whether you're on the right side or the left side of justice, truth, and accountability. [6:16] This is not about the end of a campaign or congressional service. [6:20] This is about the end of exploitation and the abuse of power, political or otherwise. [6:28] Lisa and I have dedicated our careers to fighting the power in the name of justice, [6:33] regardless of the politics of the perpetrator. [6:36] My hope is that this message both encourages others who are suffering in silence to stand [6:42] up and fight, and also I hope this encourages the grossly politicized American public and [6:50] politicians to put politics aside when it comes to allegations like these and stand up [6:57] for what is right and not what is just politically convenient. [7:02] Thank you. [7:14] Hi. [7:15] I'm attorney Lisa Bloom, and I'm very proud to represent the very brave and strong woman sitting [7:21] next to me today, Lana Drews. [7:24] Lana deserves what all women deserve, autonomy over her own body. [7:32] Every minute of every hour of every day of her life, her body is hers to control. [7:41] And no man, no matter his position of power or station in life, ever has the right to make [7:49] that decision for her. [7:53] As her attorney, I have advised Lana of her legal rights. [7:59] Immediately, we will be filing a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, [8:06] which is the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over incidents that happen in [8:12] West Hollywood. [8:15] Lana is committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement. [8:20] And we will do everything possible to assist and support her in that. [8:26] We will be providing all of her evidence there, including text messages, journal entries, photograph, [8:37] and witness information. [8:40] We will encourage the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office to fully and promptly investigate her complaint. [8:49] We will also cooperate with any other law enforcement agencies who are investigating Mr. Swalwell. [8:58] For example, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which we understand has already opened [9:04] an investigation. [9:06] Because Lana and our law firm are here not just for her, but for the other women to be helpful [9:15] in any way that we can. [9:18] We will not rest until we get justice for Lana. [9:23] I want to say something now directly to Mr. Swalwell. [9:29] Your recent statement that you are just not perfect, you are not a saint, is just blather and spin. [9:40] Stop it. [9:41] Your statement that this is all just a matter between you and your wife is laughable, if [9:48] not for the fact that it is a slap in the face to the victims. [9:54] Your statement yesterday that you just made, quote, mistakes in judgment is defensive and [10:02] minimizing. [10:03] Stop it. [10:05] Own your behavior. [10:09] To any other women out there who want to talk to us, and I have received messages from [10:16] other women, we are here to talk to you. [10:20] To anyone else who is a witness who wants to talk to us, we are here and we want to talk [10:27] to you. [10:28] Of course, for free and confidentially. [10:30] I am very easy to reach via my website, thebloomfirm.com. [10:40] Supporting women like Lana, who stand with the other women, and who show such tremendous [10:48] courage is my absolute pleasure. [10:53] Questions? [10:56] Yes. [10:58] It happened in 2018, as she said. [11:01] Her name is Lana, L-O-N-N-A, Drews, D-R-E-W-E-S. [11:08] I reached out to you, I just mentioned, you heard from Mr. Swalwell. [11:17] Three other women have reached out to me just since I announced at this press conference [11:20] yesterday. [11:22] I have not heard from Mr. Swalwell, no. [11:24] His job status for governor, he's resigned from Congress, what's the next form of justice [11:31] for you? [11:32] Because people would say that's the political motivation, what's justice now? [11:37] Justice now are the criminal investigations. [11:40] So losing one's job is not a sufficient consequence for these types of allocations. [11:46] We feel that the criminal investigations are the priority. [11:49] Melissa, are you representing the total charges for this incident? [11:57] We are making a report to law enforcement. [11:59] We are encouraging them to fully investigate. [12:01] That is the priority right now. [12:03] The following? [12:04] We will be going immediately, immediately. [12:14] You know, I have nothing but sympathy for his wife and his children. [12:19] I'm sure this is a very difficult time for them. [12:28] I'm not going to provide any additional details or information about the three who have already [12:33] reached out. [12:35] What legal investigation? [12:38] That will be up to the law enforcement. [12:42] Our priority at this point is just to make sure that Lana makes the complaint, makes the [12:46] report to law enforcement. [12:48] How they handle the investigation, their strategy and what hurdles they may, you know, they may [12:52] find is up to them. [12:53] Lisa, often these victims, these women feel that no one listens to them, no one can. [13:02] Did this give your client a feeling that someone would finally listen and it was time to come [13:10] forward? [13:12] Thank you, Jim. [13:13] You know, I think we've all learned enough to know now that when it comes to sexual assault [13:17] allegations, it takes time for women or any victim to process what happened, to understand [13:27] how to deal with the trauma, to work through it, and to get to a point where she is strong [13:33] enough to come forward. [13:34] It takes time. [13:35] That's why the law has extended statutes of limitations, time deadlines to file, because [13:41] the law recognizes that sexual assault allegations are different and it just takes time. [13:46] So for Lana, now is the time. [13:50] And even now, it's very difficult, but she's doing it. [13:53] Ms. Drew, had you followed Eric Swalwell's political career and if you're comfortable [14:00] talking a little bit about how that made you feel and, you know, just seeing his face? [14:07] So, she's not going to be answering any questions. [14:09] Okay. [14:10] She had her statement. [14:11] Can you answer that? [14:12] Thank you. [14:13] Thank you. [14:14] Was she following his career? [14:15] I don't know. [14:17] Ms. Drew, I guess someone who know Mr. Swalwell has suggested that he was living a secret life, [14:21] a double life, and they were absolutely gobsmacked at all of the accusations. [14:25] Whether in this particular instance or perhaps in your experience, is that usually the case [14:31] that people who are around someone like him are just totally in the dark on this or are [14:38] there clues? [14:39] Are there people who should know, should have known something was wrong? [14:44] Ms. Well, it is very common when someone is multiply accused of sexual misconduct [14:49] that the people around them don't know. [14:51] That's very common. [14:52] Or any kind of crimes. [14:54] People on the street often say, I had no idea. [14:57] So, I think that's pretty common. [14:58] In addition. [14:59] Is it happen that started public health to realize maybe for the first time that they [15:07] work with you? [15:10] Ms. Yes. [15:11] Thank you. [15:12] Thank you to the women on social media, to the women who have already come forward, [15:17] to anyone who has been an advocate, anyone who has assisted. [15:21] You know, it's very hard to do this by yourself. [15:24] And anyone who can support women, who can help them, who can advocate, who can speak out, [15:32] it makes a tremendous difference. [15:33] So, thank you. [15:34] And I'll add to that. [15:35] You know, there's a phenomenon we see in our line of work. [15:37] It's called collective empowerment, that when one woman comes forward or one victim comes [15:42] forward against their abuser, it often empowers like a domino effect, multiple other women [15:47] to come forward. [15:48] This is why Lisa and myself are always encouraging women to come forward, stop suffering in silence, [15:53] because not only are you saving yourself, but you're also saving someone who you are empowering. [15:57] You will probably never meet to come forward and step up and start fighting against their [16:01] abuser. [16:02] Lisa, you said that you're going to ask the sheriff's department to investigate the case. [16:06] Yes. [16:07] And you're going to cooperate with other entities, law enforcement agencies. [16:09] Correct. [16:10] What is the final objective of this? [16:12] What do you want to see? [16:13] Justice. [16:14] What do you want to see him? [16:15] Justice. [16:16] That's the final objective. [16:17] Justice for Lana. [16:18] Yes. [16:19] So this is a photograph that we've enlarged, obviously. [16:35] It was the opening of a restaurant called Avra, A-V-R-A, in 2018. [16:41] And it's one of the times that Lana described where she met with Eric Swalwell. [16:48] Will the firm be releasing any additional supplemental material to the media? [16:53] Not to the media, to the sheriff's office. [16:55] We will be providing all of our evidence to the sheriff's office. [16:58] Can you repeat what you set up as a picture? [16:59] I'm sorry. [17:00] I didn't catch that. [17:01] So this was the opening of a restaurant called Avra, A-V-R-A, where this is Ms. Drew's, [17:08] this is Mr. Swalwell, in 2018. [17:10] How many times have you? [17:12] Right. [17:15] So three times, as she said in her statement. [17:17] There was no contact after the incident. [17:19] Would this be the first time law enforcement is contacted? [17:22] By us? [17:23] Yes. [17:25] By this year? [17:26] Yes. [17:27] Yes. [17:30] Okay. [17:33] We have two Congressmen now resigning before expulsion. [17:37] Enough is enough. [17:42] Of course, anyone in a position of power who is credibly accused of abusing a woman or anyone [17:52] should step down. [17:53] Of course, it should never happen in the first place. [17:55] I think the American public is sick and tired of these stories. [17:59] And I'm sick and tired of women being victimized by men in power. [18:03] Enough is enough. [18:06] It's really appalling. [18:08] I'm glad at least these two have stepped down. [18:11] There are two more who are being investigated in Congress for misconduct and facing expulsion. [18:17] I can say briefly about Mr. Swalwell resigning from Congress yesterday. [18:23] I do not, in my opinion, see that as an act of accountability at all. [18:28] I see it as an effort to avoid the expulsion hearing that was coming because once he steps [18:33] down, the ethics committee no longer has jurisdiction to impose consequences on him. [18:39] So, even though he made some kind of a statement about I made mistakes, et cetera, very vague, [18:46] not really owning up to anything, certainly not apologizing to women, I believe that was [18:50] the reason why he stepped down, to avoid that hearing. [18:53] However, there are other consequences such as law enforcement and that's what we're doing now. [18:58] What would you consider accountability? [19:01] Justice via the criminal justice system. [19:05] Right now, we're focusing on the criminal justice system. [19:10] We think that's the most appropriate. [19:15] I'm not because once you make a report to law enforcement, it is in their hands. [19:20] We can control what we can control, which is we will answer all of their questions. [19:24] We will cooperate. [19:25] We will provide all of the evidence. [19:27] And then the LA County Sheriff's Office and the Los Angeles District Attorneys will make [19:32] a decision that they feel is appropriate. [19:35] Okay. [19:36] Thank you, everyone.