Women accuse Trump of groping, forcibly kissing them; Donald denies

Washington, United States - A flood of newly published accusations that Donald Trump groped or inappropriately kissed women rocked the race for the White House Wednesday (Thursday PH time), with the Republican nominee angrily denying the reports and his campaign branding them "character assassination."

Claims by five women, whose accounts were reported by The New York Times, The Palm Beach Post, NBC, People Magazine and Yahoo News, came to light after he said in Sunday's presidential debate with rival Hillary Clinton that he had never kissed women without their consent.

Trump's denial came as he tried to set his campaign back on track after a video recording from 2005 surfaced Friday in which the 70-year-old real estate mogul is heard making lewd boasts about how his celebrity meant he could grope women with impunity.

"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy'."

When he meets beautiful women, he added, "I just start kissing them."

Trump has apologized for the comments, dismissing them as "locker room" banter.

With just 27 days until the November 8 election, and Democrat Clinton in the driver's seat with national polls in her favor, the embattled Republican nominee had sought to get back on the offensive.

But the series of explosive new allegations of sexual misconduct put Trump's behavior with women in the spotlight once again.

'Like an octopus'
Former businesswoman Jessica Leeds, 74, told The New York Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s as they sat next to each other in first class.

About 45 minutes after takeoff, Trump lifted the armrest and began grabbing her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt, she said.

"He was like an octopus," she told the daily. "His hands were everywhere."

"It was an assault," she added.

Rachel Crooks said she was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate company in Trump Tower in 2005 when she encountered Trump outside an elevator in the building one morning.

She introduced herself and shook his hand, but he would not let go. Trump began kissing her cheeks and then "kissed me directly on the mouth," she told the daily.

"It was so inappropriate," Crooks added. "I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that."

"None of this ever took place," Trump angrily told The New York Times, calling the reporter a "disgusting human being."

'I was startled'
Also on Wednesday, the Palm Beach Post published an exclusive on its web site in which Mindy McGillivray, now 36, alleged that Trump grabbed her at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida in early 2003.

"It was pretty close to the center of my butt," she said of the incident that happened as she was working as a photographer's assistant at an event. "I was startled. I jumped."

None of the women reported the incidents to law enforcement.

The New York Times and Palm Beach Post spoke with friends and family of the women, who corroborated their accounts and knew of the incidents before the "hot mic" video was released last week.

Former Miss Utah Temple Taggart McDowell told NBC on Wednesday that Trump kissed her on the lips when she was a 21-year-old contestant in his Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1997.

Asked about last week's leaked tape, she suppressed tears, saying, "I have a daughter now and it's really hard because you think of sending your little daughter out there with men like that who think like that."

More sordid allegations came from Miss Washington 2013, Cassandra Searles. Yahoo News reported that she had called Trump a "misogynist" in a Facebook post, and said in a comment that he had "continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room."

People Magazine also published an account late on Wednesday by a staff writer who said Trump forced himself on her when she interviewed him at his residence at Mar-a-Lago in 2005.

"We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us," Natasha Stoynoff wrote. "I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat."

'Character assassination'
The Trump campaign quickly fired back, calling The New York Times article a political attack and demanding a retraction.

"This entire article is fiction, and for the New York Times to launch a completely false, coordinated character assassination against Mr Trump on a topic like this is dangerous," senior communicators advisor Jason Miller said in a statement.

ABC News reported three senior-level sources as saying Trump is drafting a lawsuit against the newspaper for defamation.

"Your article is reckless, defamatory and constitutes libel per se," Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz wrote in a letter to the daily.

"It is apparent from, among other things, the timing of the article, that it is nothing more than a politically-motivated effort to defeat Mr Trump's candidacy."

Trump traveled to Florida Wednesday for two rallies, where he ramped up his attacks on the 68-year-old Clinton, calling her a criminal who "has to go to jail" for endangering national security by using a private email account while secretary of state.

He also took aim at Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have abandoned him in the wake of the hot mic revelations.

source: interaksyon.com

Egypt's Presidential Nominations On Schedule

CAIRO (AP) – Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court said Sunday the nominating period for presidential candidates will open March 10 and last four weeks, but stopped short of announcing a date for the election.

Farouq Sultan, the head of the court committee overseeing the vote, told reporters that a decision is expected soon on when Egypt will hold presidential elections, adding that balloting will take place over one or two days. But he said the an-nouncement of the winner, even from a potential run-off; would be declared by the end of June, which would suggest the vote could be held no later than early June.

The timing of the presidential elections has been a highly divisive issue in Egypt. Activists who have been critical of the military's handling of the country's transition to democracy want the ruling generals to hold the elections earlier than June and hand over power to a civilian administration immediately. However, the military rulers still have the support of a broad spectrum of the Egyptian public who see them as the only viable leaders able to run the country until a president is elected.

Several leading figures already have expressed an interest in running for president.

Ex-Arab League chief Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister under Mubarak and a popular figure, has already begun campaigning, as has Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force pilot who served as prime minister at the height of the anti-Mubarak protests. He would likely be looked on favorably by the generals.

Mohammed Salim El Awa, a lawyer who has written a book on the concept of Islam and governance, is also expected to submit his nomination.

Among Egypt's Islamists, there is Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, a longtime liberal within the Muslim Brotherhood who has gained support among the pro-revolution crowd. He was expelled from the group because he declared his intention to run for president after the Brotherhood said it would not field a candidate. There is also Hazem Abu Ismail, who draws his core support from the ultraconservative Salafis, who form the second largest bloc in parliament after the Brotherhood.

The most notable absence from the field is Nobel laureate and former U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei. He withdrew from the race last month, saying a fair election would be impossible under the military's grip. He said the election would likely not bring a real end to the generals' rule.

Many activists believe the military wants to ensure the race produces a president who will support its interests and allow it to have a strong voice in politics even after it formally steps aside. Egypt's last four presidents have come from within the top ranks of the military, ensuring that for decades the army remained untouchable. The military has already tried to prevent or limit civilian oversight of its budget under the future system.

According to a referendum supported last year by a majority of Egyptian voters, eligible candidates must not have held dual nationality, must not be married to a foreigner and must be at least 40 years old. Egyptian-born candidates will also need 30,000 signatures or the backing of at least 30 lawmakers. The military decreed the results as law.

Parliament said Sunday that it will review all of the laws decreed by the military council. Some lawmakers were angered that the presidential law was issued just days before the new parliament convened for the first time last month.

Separately, Arizona Sen. Jon McCain arrived in Cairo Sunday evening, a day after Egypt set a trial date of Feb. 26 for 16 Americans and 27 others in a case against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups that has badly shaken ties with Washington. McCain chairs the International Republican Institute, which is one of four US -based groups under investigation. American officials have threatened to cut $1.5 billion in aid over the spat, most of which is allocated to the Egyptian army. The senator, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is expected to meet with Egypt's top military rulers during his visit.

source: mb.com.ph