Monday, December 11, 2017

Trump accusers ask Congress to investigate sexual misconduct claims

Three women who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault and harassment called on Congress Monday to open an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against the president.


Samantha Holvey, Rachel Crooks and Jessica Leeds came forward among others during the 2016 presidential election. Crooks and Leeds have accused Trump of unwanted kissing and groping. Holvey says Trump barged into a Miss USA dressing room while he was a part owner of the beauty pageant.

More than a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual assault and several more have accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior. Most of the accusers came forward in the turbulent final month of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump has denied all such claims and the White House has said all women making allegations against the president are lying.

“It was heartbreaking last year when we all — we’re private citizens — for us to put ourselves out there to try to show America who this man is and especially how he views women and for them to say, ‘Meh, we don’t care,’” Holvey said. “It hurt.”

A White House spokesperson responded to the three women’s accusations in a statement to Kelly.

“These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year’s campaign, and the American people voiced their judgement by delivering a decisive victory,” the statement read. “The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them.”

Leeds addressed the recent wave of sexual misconduct allegations against powerful men including film producer Harvey Weinstein, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

“It became apparent that in some areas, the accusations of sexual aggression were being taken seriously and people were being held accountable ― except for our president,” she said. “We’re at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is.”

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