Lawsuits threatened in groping allegations

Donald Trump denied Thursday accusations he groped and kissed women without their consent, after four women accused him of unwanted sexual advances. “The phoney story in the failing @nytimes is a TOTAL FABRICATION. Written by same people as last discredited story on woman. WATCH!” he tweeted, referring to a New York Times report. He also went after a former People magazine reporter, who wrote Trump kissed her without her consent. His campaign released a letter from attorney Marc Kasowitz demanding a retraction by the Times. The paper said the woman had spoken out on “an issue of national importance …. It would have been a disservice not just to our readers but to democracy itself to silence their voices.” Here’s a recap of the latest allegations:

Jessica Leeds told the Times that Trump sexually assaulted her on an airplane more than 30 years ago. She said he was seated next to her in first class, reached over and began groping her. According to Leeds, Trump grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt. “He was like an octopus. His hands were everywhere.” She fled to the back of the plane.

Rachel Crooks said she was working as a receptionist for a company in Trump Tower in 2005 when she encountered Trump outside of an elevator. They shook hands, but Trump would not let go, she told the Times. Instead, he began kissing her cheeks and then “kissed me directly on the mouth. It was so inappropriate. I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.”

Natasha Stoynoff, a People reporter who wrote that she went to Mar-a-Lago to interview Trump and Melania Trump for a feature story on their first wedding anniversary, said Trump kissed her without her consent when they were alone in a room. “I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat,” Stoynoff wrote. She wrote that he told her later, “You know we’re going to have an affair, don’t you?”

Mindy McGillivray told the Palm Beach Post that Trump groped her 13 years ago. She said she was in an area alongside Trump and his then- fiancee Melania at an event featuring Ray Charles. "All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I turn around and there’s Donald. He sort of looked away quickly. I quickly turned back, f acing Ray Charles, and I’m stunned.''