Trump accusers: His denials are straight out of Weinstein and Cosby ‘playbook’
Four women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct issued a joint statement Tuesday after Trump denied knowing them, calling his denial “straight out of the Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby playbook.”
“These outright – and false – denials from President Trump are straight out of the Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby playbook. It is exactly what we have come to expect from a man who has repeatedly demonstrated his disregard and disdain for women, and the truth,” the four women — Rachel Crooks, Lisa Boyne, Samantha Holvey and Melinda McGillivray — said in the statement.
{mosads}“70% of Americans agree that our claims should be investigated. If President Trump is so confident about his claims, he should also support a move to investigate and air the facts,” the statement continued.
“The post-Weinstein era of accountability, and the rise of the #MeToo movement, give us hope that our society is changing for the better. President Trump has thus far avoided accountability for his long-running sexual misconduct. That changes now.”
Three women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct united for a joint press conference on Monday, calling on Congress to investigate the allegations against him.
“If they were willing to investigate Sen. [Al] Franken [D-Minn.], it’s only fair that they do the same for Trump,” Crooks said at the press conference, which also included Holvey and Jessica Leeds.
Crooks has accused the president of forcibly kissing her 12 years ago at Trump Tower, where she was a young receptionist.
Holvey, a former Miss USA contestant, says Trump walked into the dressing room at the pageant to inspect the women, and Leeds has alleged that Trump groped and kissed her on an airplane.
On Tuesday, the day after the women’s press conference, Trump took to Twitter to claim he didn’t know the women and blast their “false accusations.”
“Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia – so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met,” Trump tweeted. “FAKE NEWS!”
Photos and videos emerged Tuesday showing Trump with some of the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
At least 16 women accused Trump of sexually harassing or assaulting them during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has denied all of the allegations, and the White House has said its official position is that all the women are lying.
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