Presidential races

Woman alleges Trump groped her at US Open

A New York woman is accusing Donald Trump of groping her outside of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1998.

Karena Virginia, a yoga teacher and lifestyle coach, said Trump approached her while she was waiting for her car outside of the tennis tournament in Queens, N.Y., when she overheard Trump and a few other men talking about her.

{mosads}”He then walked up to me, reached his right arm, grabbed my right arm, and then his hand touched the right inside of my breast,” she said. 

“I was in shock; I flinched. ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ That’s what he said to me. I felt intimidated and I felt powerless.” 

“He should be ashamed not only of his words but of his behavior toward so many women,” Virginia said. 

Virginia levied the allegations during a Thursday morning press conference in New York with the attorney Gloria Allred.

The Trump campaign denied the groping allegation in a statement and called Allred a “discredited political operative” waging a smear campaign.

“Voters are tired of these circus-like antics and reject these fictional stories and the clear efforts to benefit Hillary Clinton,” said Jessica Ditto, Trump’s deputy communications director. 

Virginia is just the latest woman to come forward alleging misconduct by Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, since the release of a 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women without their consent. 

“Mr. Trump, perhaps you do not remember me or what you did to me so many years ago,” Virginia said. “But I can assure you that I remember you and what you did to me as though it was yesterday. Your random moment of sexual pleasure came at my expense and affected me greatly.” 

Ten women have come forward to say they were the subject of aggressive or unwanted sexual advances from Trump.

Trump has accused the women of lying and seeking to help Clinton’s campaign.

Allred, who stood with another Trump accuser last week, admitted she is a Clinton supporter and a delegate to the 2016 and 2008 Democratic National Convention, she said she did not coordinate with the Clinton campaign about the release of the latest accusation.

“I am a proud support of Hillary Rodham Clinton,” Allred said. “Having said that, i have my own law firm. No one tells me what to do, I don’t tell them what to do, and I have had no contact with them about Karina in advance of this,” she said. 

– This story was updated at 4:04 p.m.