White House spokesman Raj Shah called then-candidate Donald Trump “a deplorable” and called the release of the Access Hollywood tape where the president brags about sexually assaulting women “some justice,” in 2016, according to a new report.
Shah’s comments were made in messages sent when he worked at the Republican National Committee (RNC) before Trump was elected, New York magazine reports.
Shah, 33, wrote the comments to Andrew Hemming, a senior RNC researcher on Oct. 7, 2016.
“u wanna hear something a little fucked up?” Shah wrote to Hemming, to which he responded “Sure.”
“I’m kinda enjoying this, some justice. I honestly don’t think it’s the worst thing he’s done but he somehow got passes for the other acts,” Shah said, later adding: “Trump is a deplorable.”
The now-deputy press secretary’s comments came shortly after the Access Hollywood tape—where Trump brags about groping and kissing women without their consent—was released.
Shah declined to comment for New York‘s story. However, communications director Hope Hicks said he shared the messages with White House staff “many months ago” and condemned “leakers” for the information getting out.
“Perhaps if the leakers trying to undermine him were as talented and smart as Raj, they would be here fighting for the American people every day, rather than trying desperately to remain relevant by spreading information that Raj himself shared many months ago,” Hicks told the news outlet.
You can read all of New York‘s report here.