Former staffer alleges Trump kissed her during campaign

WASHINGTON: A former staffer in President Donald Trump’s campaign has alleged in a lawsuit he kissed her against her will before an election rally in August 2016.

Alva Johnson has alleged that when she saw Trump leaning towards her to kiss her on her mouth, she turned away her face, and he kissed her on the “corner” of her mouth instead. “I immediately felt violated because I wasn’t expecting it or wanting it,” she told The Washington Post. “I can still see his lips coming straight for my face.”

Johnson alleged that when she first met Trump in November 2015, he “looked her up and down and said, ‘Oh, beautiful, beautiful, fantastic’”. The 43-year-old African American mother of four joined the Trump campaign as director for outreach and coalition for Alabama, her home state. She was moved to Florida three months before polling.

The alleged incident took place in a recreational vehicle in Tampa, Florida. As it was raining, Trump and others had moved into the RV. Trump “grasped her hand and did not let go” as he told her he would take care of her for her hard work in the campaign. He “leaned towards her” and moved “close enough that she could feel his breath on him,” the lawsuit alleged.

Johnson realised Trump was “trying to kiss her on the mouth and attempted to avoid this by turning her head to the right,” the suite alleged, adding, “Trump kissed her anyway”.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called the allegations “absurd”, saying “this never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eye witness accounts.”