President Donald Trump took to Twitter to deny the account of a woman who says he forcibly kissed her without her consent in Trump Tower in 2006, saying it “never happened!”
The president, referencing a report by the Washington Post detailing Rachel Crooks’ account of him kissing her outside an elevator in January 2006, said he didn’t know her and “to the best of knowledge, never met” Crooks.
Crooks, who is one of several women who have said Trump engaged in various forms of sexual harassment with them in the past, said he kissed her without her consent in 2006 when she was working for a company that had offices in Trump Tower. She first came forward with her story shortly before the 2016 election when she spoke with the New York Times.
“He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek. He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model. He wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips,” Crooks said in the Post‘s article.
The president, apparently seeing the story, denied her account.
“A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. Never happened! Who would do this in a public space with live security……” Trump wrote, later adding in another tweet: “…cameras running. Another False Accusation. Why doesn’t @washingtonpost report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me? One had her home mortgage paid off. Only @FoxNews so reported…doesn’t fit the Mainstream Media narrative.”
A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. Never happened! Who would do this in a public space with live security……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018
….cameras running. Another False Accusation. Why doesn’t @washingtonpost report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me? One had her home mortgage paid off. Only @FoxNews so reported…doesn’t fit the Mainstream Media narrative.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018
In the article, Crooks doesn’t say it happened in the lobby of Trump Tower, but outside her company’s offices.
In his second tweet, Trump referenced a report in The Hill, where they said Lisa Bloom, a celebrity lawyer, tried to arrange payment for two women who considered coming forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Trump. While the Hill’s story has faced criticism from newsroom staffers at The Hill, the story was quickly picked up by numerous pro-Trump websites such as Breitbart, Fox News, and others.
The money was reportedly, in part, used to help the women with relocation and security if they felt unsafe after coming forward.
In his own words, Trump has admitted to saying he kisses women against their wishes.
"I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything" ~Trump in the 2005 Access Hollywood tape https://t.co/8rRO6jWD4O
— Carrie Dann (@CarrieNBCNews) February 20, 2018
Crooks is running for the state legislature in Ohio. She said she was inspired to run because of the #MeToo movement. Crooks was one of several women who called for Congress to investigate their claims against the president.
You can read all of Crooks’ account of Trump’s sexual harassment against her here.