New calls for Trump sexual misconduct claims inquiry

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The White House dismissed accusations of sexual harassment against President Donald Trump on Monday, as three of his accusers called for a congressional inquiry into their allegations.

The three women – Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, and Samantha Holvey – said that the wave of accusations of misconduct against powerful men in American life and the #metoo movement meant that their claims, first made during the presidential election campaign, deserved a renewed hearing.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday said the president denied the allegations and had been backed up by eyewitnesses.

Rachel Crooks, a former receptionist in Trump Tower in 2005 (left), Jessica Leeds (center) and Samantha Holvey, a former Miss North Carolina (right), exit a news conference for the film "16 Women and Donald Trump" in Manhattan, New York, US on December 11, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The women, speaking at a news conference organized by Brace New Films, a non-profit filmmaker which has made a documentary featuring 16 of Trump’s accusers, said the president should be held accountable.

In the film, women accused Trump of kissing them without permission, grabbing their private parts, putting his hand up their skirts, or making other unwanted advances.

“These allegations are credible," Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a CNN interview on Monday. "They are numerous. I’ve heard these women’s testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.”

Trump previously apologized for talking about groping women in the 2005 Access Hollywood tape, and insisted he had not done the things he talked about. A #metoo rally began at the Trump International Hotel in New York on Saturday.

Haley ‘infuriates’ Trump

Sanders suggested that the American public had already given a verdict on the claims against Trump. “The people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process,” she said.

However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley broke with the White House line on Sunday by saying Trump’s accusers “should be heard, and should be dealt with” during a round of TV interviews on Sunday.

“And I think we heard from them before the election, she added. “And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (L) and US President Donald Trump. /Reuters Photo

Haley’s comments “infuriated” Trump, AP cited two people familiar with the president’s views as saying. The president has repeatedly denied the claims and recently questioned the veracity of the notorious Access Hollywood tape.

The calls for an investigation came ahead of the December 12 Alabama special senate election, in which the Republican candidate Roy Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers. Trump has thrown his support behind Moore over the past week.

Congressional pressure

Fifty-six female Democratic lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Monday called for a congressional investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump, meanwhile.

The lawmakers' request for a probe was sent to leaders of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the House.

However, the Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not expected to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is a connection to the ongoing Russia probe.

Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein was the first of a number of powerful and high-profile men, including three member of Congress, to have been accused in recent months of sexual misconduct.

(With inputs from agencies)