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<\/p>\nBy\u00a0Dareh Gregorian,\u00a0Chloe Atkins\u00a0and\u00a0Andrew Blankstein<\/p>\n
Former Rep.\u00a0Eric Swalwell<\/a>, D-Calif., faces a new\u00a0sexual assault allegation<\/a> from a woman who said he drugged, raped and choked her in a California hotel room in 2018.<\/p>\n “He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness,” the woman, Lonna Drewes, said Tuesday at a news conference with her attorneys. “I thought I died.”<\/p>\n Authorities in Los Angeles County said Tuesday they’re investigating the alleged incident involving Swalwell.<\/p>\n “The Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department\u2019s Special Victims Bureau is investigating a case involving a female adult who reported being sexually assaulted by Eric Swalwell,” the department said in a statement. “The investigation remains in its preliminary stages and is ongoing.”<\/p>\n An attorney for Swalwell, who resigned from Congress on Tuesday afternoon, said Swalwell “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”<\/p>\n “<\/strong>These accusations are false, fabricated and deeply offensive \u2014 a calculated and transparent political hit job,” attorney Sara Azari continued in the statement. Swalwell previously\u00a0admitted having made \u201cmistakes,\u201d\u00a0<\/a>but he has called accusations of sexual assault \u201cflat false.\u201d<\/p>\n Drewes said that she had contact with Swalwell on a few occasions and that the first two encounters were friendly. “He offered me connections to further my software company,” she said.<\/p>\n