Sex assault accusers are lying, Trump aide says
Spokeswoman firmly defends his innocence on allegations that surfaced in campaign.
President Trump’s spokeswoman maintained Friday that all of the women who have accused him of unwanted touching or kissing were lying.
“Yeah, we’ve been clear on that from the beginning, and the president has spoken on it,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said when asked whether Trump’s position on accusations against him was that “all of these women are lying.”
The accusations arose during last year’s presidential campaign, when at least 11 women described physical actions by Trump that they found offensive.
Trump at the time called the women “horrible liars” and suggested in at least one case that he was not physically attracted to the woman making the accusation.
Trump, however, was caught bragging in vulgar language, on a 2005 video made by the “Access Hollywood” show, about grabbing and kissing women without their permission.
Then-host of the “Apprentice” reality television show, Trump said on the video that he got away with the actions because he was “a star.”
Trump’s actions have received renewed interest since movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused by dozens of women of inappropriate sexual acts. Weinstein lost his post at his family company.
Allegations have also tarnished journalist Mark Halperin, who was suspended from his MSNBC and NBC analyst roles after several women accused him of harassment when he directed political coverage years ago at ABC News.
Trump has maintained his innocence during his presidency, as he did in the campaign.
During a recent media briefing with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Trump was asked about his campaign being subpoenaed by one of his accusers for documents related to allegations made in 2016.
“All I can say is it’s totally fake news. It’s just fake. It’s fake,” he said. “It’s made-up stuff, and it’s disgraceful what happens. But that’s [what] happens in the world of politics.”
Earlier, Trump told reporters that he was not taken aback by the alleged actions against Weinstein, a longtime Democratic donor.
“I’ve known Harvey Weinstein for a long time. I’m not all surprised to see it,” Trump said Oct. 7.
Asked about the accusations leveled against him, Trump attempted to brush them aside.
“That’s locker room. That’s locker room,” he said, employing the same description of the language he used when the “Access Hollywood” tape first surfaced a year ago.