In light of the #MeToo movement, three of the 16 women who have come forward with sexual assault and harassment allegations against President Trump are calling on Congress to investigate their claims.
On Monday, Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks appeared on NBC News with Megyn Kelly to reflect on the year since they first came forward with allegations following the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which the POTUS can be heard talking about grabbing women, “by the pussy.”
“It was heartbreaking last year when we all — we’re private citizens — for us to put ourselves out there to try to show America who this man is and especially how he views women and for them to say, ‘Meh, we don’t care,'” Holvey said, discussing how she felt after Trump won the 2016 election. “It hurt. And so now it’s just like, alright, let’s try round two. The environment’s different. Let’s try again.”
“For us to put ourselves out there to try to show America who this man is and especially how he views women and for them to say ‘Eh, we don’t care,’ it hurt. Trump accuser Samantha Holvey on @MegynTODAY pic.twitter.com/BIWZCYlQzA
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 11, 2017
What does round two look like? Crooks, who says she was kissed repeatedly by Trump in an elevator while working as a receptionist at Trump Tower, said in a news conference later on Monday that it’s time for Congress to investigate — especially following claims against politicians like Senators Al Franken and John Conyers, which have turned out to be true.
“If they were willing to investigate Sen. Franken, it’s only fair they do the same for Trump,” Crooks said.
At the news conference, Leeds echoed Crooks’s sentiment that it’s time to hold the president accountable along with the rest of the powerful men who have recently been outed for their sexual misconduct.
Women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct are speaking out. https://t.co/15whXtvbN2
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) December 11, 2017
“It became apparent that in some areas, the accusations of sexual aggression were being taken seriously and people were being held accountable ― except for our president,” Leeds said. “We’re at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is.”
Leeds went public with her account by speaking to the New York Times one month before the 2016 election. She says she first encountered Trump on a plane in the 1970s, where she was seated next to him in first class. Trump began to kiss and grope her, putting his hand up her skirt before she got up and moved back to the back of the plane. Holvey, who was a Miss USA contestant in 2006, says it was the way Trump treated she and the rest of the contestants “like a piece of meat,” that caused her to drop out of the competition.
Meanwhile, the White House continues to deny the claims made by the 16 women. In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, “The president has denied any of these allegations, as have eyewitnesses…and again, the American people knew this and voted for the president and we feel like we’re ready to move forward in that process.”