Women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct: ‘We were forgotten’

Women who accused President Trump of sexual misconduct are speaking out, saying they feel like their stories were forgotten after the election.

“I feel like we were forgotten about and there was no justice,” Melinda McGilivray, who accused Trump of groping her at Mar-a-Lago in 2003, told People magazine.

Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of trying to kiss her and touch her inappropriately on a flight in the 1980s, said she is frustrated that the allegations have not brought the president down. 

“Things just seem to fall off of Trump, I’m extremely disappointed,” Leeds said. 

{mosads}Many of the allegations against Trump surfaced during the campaign last year after a leaked “Access Hollywood” tape included audio of Trump boasting about groping and kissing women without their consent. 

Trump dismissed the allegations against him again in October as “made-up stuff” and “fake news.”

“All I can say is it’s totally fake news — just fake. It’s fake, it’s made-up stuff. And it’s disgraceful what happens,” Trump said in October. 

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also told reporters that the White House stance is the accusers are not telling the truth.

“We’ve been clear on that from the beginning and the president has spoken on it,” she said.

Natasha Stoynoff, who is a writer for People and also one of Trump’s accusers, condemned the White House’s response to the allegations. 

“For Trump and his press secretary to continue to push the false agenda that the women are liars and continue to so cavalierly defame private citizens is outrageous and improper,” Stoynoff said. 

The new comments come as numerous women across the country have stepped forward to accuse men in high-powered positions of sexual misconduct.

A radio host accused Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) of kissing and groping her without her consent in 2006 before Franken was a senator. 

Franken issued an apology and called for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate him. 

Numerous women have also come forward to accuse Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct while they were minors. 

Moore has denied all of the allegations, saying they are politically motivated. 

McGilivray said she was “appalled” that various Republicans have said they believe Moore’s accusers, but have not believed Trump’s accusers. 

“It’s disturbing,” she told People, adding “that many of Trump’s diehard supporters are so stubborn that they can’t seem to come to terms with the reality that their president is just as guilty as Roy Moore.”

Trump has largely avoided addressing the controversy surrounding Moore directly, however he weighed in on the accusations against Franken in a tweet on Thursday. 

 

 

 

 

However, some of Trump’s accusers remain hopeful he will face justice in the future. 

“I do feel he will have his day in court,” McGilivray said. 

“I feel this issue has been ‘on hold’ all year, but not forgotten,” Stoynoff told the publication. “It’s been simmering on the stove with the lid on, like a pressure cooker. But now the heat’s on and it’s going to boil and the lid is going to blast off.”

Stoynoff called on Trump to issue a formal apology and a statement saying “that we are not liars.”