President Trump on Tuesday denied claims made by a woman who says he forcibly kissed her in Trump Tower a decade ago.
In a tweet, the president rejected accusations from Rachel Crooks, a then-22-year-old secretary in a neighboring office building, who told The Washington Post that Trump grabbed her and began forcibly kissing her upon meeting him in 2006.
“A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago,” the president wrote on Twitter.
“Never happened!” he added.
{mosads}”Who would do this in a public space with live security cameras running. Another False Accusation. Why doesn’t @washingtonpost report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me? One had her home mortgage paid off. Only @FoxNews so reported…doesn’t fit the Mainstream Media narrative.”
The Post published the claims Tuesday morning in a profile of Crooks, now 35, who is running for state office in Ohio. She said, however, that the incident happened on the 24th floor of the Manhattan office building. The Post noted that she had called on Trump during a news conference to release the security tapes from the 24th floor that day, but he never responded.
“He took hold of my hand and held me in place like this,” she told the newspaper. “He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek. He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model. He wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips,” Crooks said.
Crooks was one of 19 women who came forward with accusations of sexual assault and other misconduct against then-candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential race, claims that were denied by Trump and his aides during the campaign.
“Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!” Trump tweeted in 2016 after the claims surfaced initially.
Despite Trump’s denials, Crooks says she will continue sharing her story to speak out against the “character” of the president, dismissing the idea of a lawsuit.
“I know there are many worse forms of sexual harassment, but doesn’t this still speak to character?” she said. “I don’t want money. I don’t need a lawsuit. I just want people to listen. How many women have to come forward? What will it take to get a response?”
Updated at 11:43 a.m.