A 63-year-old woman has accused Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump of forcefully grabbing and kissing her 20 years ago. The accusation is the latest in a string of accusations of sexual assault against the businessman.
After a tape from 2005 surfaced in which Trump was seen bragging about groping women and getting away with it, a floodgate of accusations against him has opened up. The presidential candidate has been criticised repeatedly for his misogyny.
Cathy Heller, 63, said that Trump "took my hand, and grabbed me, and went for the lips" when they met him at Mar-a-Lago, an estate owned by Trump, almost 20 years ago. Her mother-in-law had introduced her to Trump, she said.
"The media has gone too far in making this false accusation," Jason Miller, senior communication advisor to the Trump campaign, said in a statement. "There is no way that something like this would have happened in a public place on Mother's Day at Mr Trump's resort. It would have been the talk of Palm Beach for the past two decades. The reality is this: for the media to wheel out a politically motivated Democratic activist with a legal dispute against this same resort owned by Mr. Trump does a disservice to the public, and anyone covering this story should be embarrassed for elevating this bogus claim."
"He can't claim we're all liars," Heller was quoted as saying to the Guardian.
Heller had told the story to friends and relatives over the years and only now joined other women in denouncing the man publicly.
"You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful – I just start kissing them," Trump was heard saying on the 2005 tape. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait...And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."
US First Lady Michelle Obama had recently condemned Trump for assaulting women. Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also denounced Trump for his alleged actions.
