The official White House position is that the women who accused Trump of assault are all liars, and this is not okay
At least sixteen women have come forward with sexual misconduct accusations against President Donald Trump. However, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, those women are lying. Over the years, we’ve heard women who have experienced sexual assault and harassment say that one of the main reasons they didn’t immediately share their stories is because they were afraid of not being believed. To take what might be the most traumatic experience of a woman’s life and reduce it to nothing but a lie or a cry for attention — simply because you’re in a position to do so — isn’t okay.
Sanders was responding to a question from CBS News reporter Jacqueline Alemany during a White House press briefing.
“Obviously sexually harassment has been in the news,” Jacqueline said. “At least 16 women accused the president of sexually harassing them throughout the course of the campaign. Last week during a press conference in the Rose Garden, the president called these accusations ‘fake news.’ Is the official White House position that all of these women are lying?”
“Yes. We’ve been clear on that from the beginning, and the president has spoken on it, Sanders replied before quickly moving to another question.
.@PressSec tells reporters it's the official White House position that the women accusing Trump of sexual harassment are lying. pic.twitter.com/DWftJRENar
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 27, 2017
This news is hard to hear — and dangerous at a time when women are still struggling to come forward and have their stories believed. It’s even worse when Trump has himself admitted to harassing and assaulting women, though we’re sure he doesn’t call it that.
Back in 2005, while chatting with Billy Bush for Access Hollywood, Trump admitted to kissing and groping women without their consent.
“I just start kissing them — it’s like a magnet," you can hear Trump say on the tape. "Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy.
Zervos’s attorneys subpoenaed the Trump campaign for any documents pertaining to “any woman alleging that Donald J. Trump touched her inappropriately” over the course of the 2016 campaign. When Trump denied the request, she sued him for defamation.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/787359730465329152
“It is hard to reconcile that Harvey Weinstein could be brought down with this, and [President] Trump just continues to be the Teflon Don, Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her on an airplane, told The Washington Post.
Melinda McGillivray, who alleges the president groped her at Mar-a-Lago in 2003, reacted similarly. “What pisses me off is that the guy is president,” she said. “It’s that simple.”
Hearing Sanders’s statement and knowing it’s the official White House position is absolutely disheartening. Especially at a time movements like the #MeToo campaign are finally empowering women to come forward. But we’re standing with all the women and men brave enough to share their stories.
