Trump faces women lawmakers’ ire

Washington, December 12 

Over 50 Democratic women lawmakers have sought a thorough congressional probe into the sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump, saying a full inquiry into the accusations was “long overdue”. In a letter sent to Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms, the 54 women lawmakers who signed it noted that in the time of “Me Too”, women across the US were coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault.

“Members of Congress have also come under scrutiny, with some resigning, for improper sexual conduct,” the letter said. “We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Trump. With that said, the President should be allowed to present evidence in his own defence,” it said.

The allegations of sexual misconduct against the 71- year-old Trump have received renewed attention recently after several prominent men in the worlds of politics, entertainment and media have been accused of sexual harassment, assault and rape. Over the past two years, about 16 women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them prior to his assuming the presidency. Three of the Trump’s accusers at a news conference demanded the US Congress investigate their allegations against the President. 

They detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by the businessman-turned-politician. Last year, Trump dismissed the allegations as “false”. He downplayed his remarks in a video that showed him making lewd remarks as nothing more than “locker room talk” at the second presidential debate.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said yesterday the president had addressed the accusations directly and denied all of these allegations. “This took place long before he was elected to be President. And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process,” Sanders said. — PTI 

High stakes for trump as Alabama votes

Voters in Alabama were headed to the polls on Tuesday in a hard-fought US Senate race in which President Donald Trump has endorsed fellow Republican Roy Moore, whose campaign has been clouded by allegations of sexual misconduct toward teenagers. Moore, 70, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, is battling Democrat Doug Jones, 63, a former US attorney who is hoping to pull off an upset victory in the deeply conservative Southern state. The Alabama contest has divided the Republican Party. Trump has strongly backed Moore, but several other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have distanced themselves from the candidate.  Moore has been accused by multiple women of pursuing them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s, including one woman who said he tried to initiate sexual contact with her when she was 14. Moore has denied any misconduct. Without mentioning Moore, Republican former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, an African-American who grew up in Alabama, issued a statement urging Alabama voters to “reject bigotry, sexism, and intolerance.”