More shocking against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today, as three women have come forward to accuse the candidate of groping and sexually harassing them.
Two of the incidents were reported Wednesday by Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks, who claim that Trump physically violated them in separate incidents that took place months apart.
Leeds, now 74, says that Trump grabbed her breasts and attempted to lift her skirt when she was seated next to him on a flight to New York in the early ’80s.
“He was like an octopus,” Leeds tells the New York Times. “His hands were everywhere.”
She added, “It was an assault.”
The second incident, as described by Crooks, took place at Manhattan Trump Tower while she was working as a receptionist there in 2005.
Crooks says the incident began when she and Trump were wating for an elevator together, and the real estate magnate refused to let go after shaking her hand.
“[Trump] kissed me directly on the mouth,” Crooks told the Times.
“It was so inappropriate. I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.”
Trump categorically denied the charges, and reportedly became became irate with a Times reporter when asked about them.
“None of this ever took place,” Trump responded when asked about the allegations, adding:
“You are a disgusting human being,”
A third woman, Mindy McGillivray, tells the Palm Beach Post that she was working at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as an assistant go photographer Ken Davidoff when she was groped by Trump in 2003.
“All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge,” Gillivray recalls.
“I think it’s Ken’s camera bag, that was my first instinct. I turn around and there’s Donald.
“He sort of looked away quickly. I quickly turned back, facing Ray Charles, and I’m stunned.”
She added:
“This was a pretty good nudge. More of a grab,” McGillivray, who also did not press charges, recalled. “It was pretty close to the center of my butt. I was startled. I jumped.”
On Wednesday night, People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff published a shocking account in which she revealed that she was also accosted by Trump at Mar-a-Lago, just months after the real estate mogul married Melania Knauss.
“He was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat,” Stoynoff writes, adding that she most definitely “did not give consent” for the unwelcome physical contact.
The allegations couldn’t come at a worse time for the Trump campaign.
On Friday, video of Trump boasting about acts of sexual assault was released by the Washington Post:
Since then, numerous reports of Trump objectifying and behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner have occurred.
Trump has been accused of everything from referring to his daughter, Ivanka Trump, as a “piece of ass” to fondling and harassing Apprentice contestants, including Celebrity Apprentice stars Lisa Rinna and Marlee Matlin.
Last night, the world learned that Trump joked about dating a 10-year-old in the presence of the little girl and her parents.
All of this at a time when Hillary Clinton is pulling away from Trump in key battleground states.
While Trump may never face any legal consequences for his alleged aggressions against women, at the moment, it looks like his political comeuppance will indeed come from a female opponent.
