Natasha Stoynoff, a best-selling author and writer for People magazine, is the latest woman to come forward and accuse Republican nominee for president Donald Trump of sexual assault.
According to the reporter, the incident took place in 2005 at Mar-a-Lago as the business mogul was showing her a room. Stoynoff says that she was working on a story for the first wedding anniversary of Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania. The journalist started covering Trump in the early 2000s, and after the alleged incident she asked for a different assignment.
Stoynoff decided to tell her story after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced last week in which the real estate giant describes actions that some people compare to sexual assault. According to reports, Billy Bush, who is also featured on the lewd tape, is in big trouble with his bosses at NBC and he may get fired in the near future.
During the second presidential debate on Sunday, Trump told moderator Anderson Cooper from CNN that he never did the things he described in the video. The politician’s comments pushed some women to come forward and tell their stories. The Trump campaign is denying the claims made by at least five women on Wednesday.
Trump is also threatening to sue media outlets, who decide to give his accusers a platform. However, experts say that he might not have much standing in court and if he moves forward, the campaign may pay a big price with independent voters.
Here is the key passage from the reporter’s accusation:
“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat. Now, I’m a tall, strapping girl who grew up wrestling two giant brothers. I even once sparred with Mike Tyson. It takes a lot to push me. But Trump is much bigger — a looming figure — and he was fast, taking me by surprise and throwing me off balance. I was stunned. And I was grateful when Trump’s longtime butler burst into the room a minute later, as I tried to unpin myself.”
Stoynoff reportedly shared her story with a colleague, but never took things further. In related news, a 1992 video also surfaced on Wednesday where Trump is heard making an inappropriate joke about a 10-year-old girl.
Critics say all these things put together might sink his candidacy.
