Three women who accused United States President Donald Trump of sexual harassment last year demanded on Monday that the Congress “investigate Trump’s history of sexual misconduct”. Before addressing the media, they also appeared on NBC News’ Today show to share their stories again in the wake of a renewed discourse on sexual harassment worldwide.
Two Democratic Senators, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon, also called for either Trump’s resignation or an investigation by the Congress.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that the allegations involve incidents that took place “long before he was elected president” and that Trump has already denied them. Trump had called the claims “lies” during his election campaign last year and had threatened to sue the women, but he has not done so yet.
‘Serial misconduct and perversion’
The day when Donald Trump took oath as President was a “rough day”, said one of the accusers, Samantha Holvey, according to CNN. “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 do not care’ – it hurt.”
Holvey, a former Miss North Carolina, has accused Trump of inspecting beauty pageant contestants while they got ready in the dressing room.
About Trump’s supporters supporting him despite such allegations, Jessica Leeds said: “He [Trump] is their dog, and so they are going to stick with their dog.” Leeds claims that Trump groped and kissed her on a flight in the 1970s.
“This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Mr Trump,” said Rachel Crooks, a former receptionist. “Unfortunately, this behaviour isn’t rare in our society, and people of all backgrounds can be victims. The only reason I am here today is that this offender is now the President of our country.”
Crooks asked the US Congress to “put aside party affiliations” and investigate.
“In an objective setting, without question, a person with this record would have entered the graveyard of political aspirations, never to return,” she said. “Yet here we are with that man as President.”
More Democrats join in
Soon after two Democratic Party Senators demanded Trump’s resignation on the weekend, two more joined in. If he does not “immediately resign”, Congress “should have appropriate investigations of his behaviour and hold him accountable”, said Kirsten Gillibrand, adding that Trump had committed alleged “criminal activity”.
Responding to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s statement that Trump’s accusers “should be heard”, Gillibrand said: “Not only should women be heard, but they should be believed.”
Senator Ron Wyden made a similar demand in his tweet. Senators Cory Booker and Jeff Merkley had also asked for Trump to step down over the weekend.
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