A young woman accusing former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) of inappropriate behavior says she still reflects on how narrowly she avoided a dangerous situation—calling the experience something that left her shaken “to the core.”

Speaking publicly for the first time, Annika Albrecht told CBS News on Tuesday that her interactions with married congressman Eric Swalwell began after they met during a college class trip. According to Albrecht, Swalwell initially framed their communication as a professional mentorship before asking to connect on Snapchat. 

She alleges the messages soon escalated into what she described as “s-x–lly inappropriate” exchanges, culminating in an invitation to meet him at a hotel. “I keep thinking about how lucky I am that I didn’t go to that hotel,” Albrecht said, noting that she cut off contact shortly after. “It was very clear what the connotation was.”

Her account comes as another woman has accused Swalwell of s-x–lly assaulting her in a New York City hotel room in 2024.

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he said in a statement shared on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

Two of the women who say they were targeted by Swalwell—Ally Sammarco and Annika Albrecht—said they chose to speak out in part to prevent what they fear could have been decades of harm to “future victims.” Both women said they felt some validation after Eric Swalwell abruptly resigned from Congress on Monday and withdrew from California’s gubernatorial race following a wave of s-x–l assault and r-pe allegations.

“He thought he was untouchable. He acted with total impunity. He never thought that the consequences of his actions would follow him,” Sammarco said. “As governor, he would have had even more power and more authority. And he would have felt vindicated too, you know, that he could run for higher office.”

Albrecht, who publicly shared her claims for the first time in the interview, said she does not believe justice has yet been achieved. “Until he can’t ever harm a woman ever again — and he has faced the consequences for the women that he has harmed,” she said, describing what accountability would look like to her.

Both women said their alleged interactions with Eric Swalwell occurred when they were young and pursuing careers in politics. Sammarco claimed she first connected with him in 2021 after reaching out on Twitter. She said she initially felt “like a million bucks” when he offered to help advance her career, but alleged that their exchanges soon became inappropriate. She ultimately claimed that Swalwell sent her a photo of his genitals via Snapchat.

“I keep thinking: What if I went to that hotel?” she said. It was very clear what the connotation was.”