HUNTER STANDS BY TRUMP DESPITE CLAIMS BY 6 WOMEN OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS; LIKENS TRUMP BOASTS OF GROPING AND FORCING SELF ON WOMEN TO TALK IN MILITARY

By Miriam Raftery

October 14, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – After the release of a videotape last week on which Republican nominee Donald Trump boasted in crude terms about grabbing women’s genitals and forcing kisses on them in the workplace,  Trump dismissed those claims “as locker room talk” in a presidential debate. When pressed by  CNN’s  Anderson Cooper on whether he did those things,  he claimed he didn’t.  Six women have since come forward to state  he did sexually assault them, including a journalist  and others. In addition, a hearing on alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl by Trump heads to court in December. Dozens of past coworkers of  Trump have also corroborated sexually demeaning remarks in the workplace that amount to sexual harassment.

Many top Republicans have yanked support of Trump as a result.  GOP Chair Rance Priebus ordered the Republican National  Party to cut off all cash to the Trump campaign.  House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he is done defending Trump.  Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State under Republican George W. Bush,  stated,”Enough! Donald Trump should not be President. He should withdraw.”  Former GOP nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney have said they will not support Trump’s candidacy.  Conservative commentator Glen Beck called opposing  Trump the “moral choice” even if Hillary Clinton is elected.

But Congressman Duncan Hunter, a Republican whose district includes  parts of San Diego and East County continues to support  Trump. “We’ve got to keep on fighting to the end,” he said, according to the Washington Post’s article titled “What it’s like to be on the shrinking island of Donald Trump backers.”

Hunter blasted media for publicizing Trump’s candid and crude confessions caught in an ”off the record” video (made aboard a bus and in a studio for a TV show).  A  war veteran, Hunter stated,”If you had recorded the stuff my Marines and I were talking about, after not seeing a woman for several months—but let’s just leave it at that.And so I find this completely unfair.”  

10 News reports that Hunter’s office notes that accusations made against Trump for actual sexual misconduct remain allegations at this point.  Trump has adamantly insisted all allegations are false.

Patrick Malloy,  Democratic candidate running against Congressman  Duncan Hunter,  blasted  Hunter for backing Trump in a statement sent to local media. “It is only right for Hunter to promptly rescind his endorsement of Trump given that Hunter was the first Congressman to endorse Trump.  Hunter should, then, also be one of the first to denounce Trump’s vile language about women; but I am afraid Hunter may have too much to hide about his own relationships with women given that he has been voted ‘party animal’ of the year twice by Capitol Hill staffers.”

More videos have surfaced, including a Howard  Stern interview in which Trump boasted of walking into the dressing room during the Miss Universe pageant to see young women naked or partially undressed.  "You know, they're standing there with no clothes. 'Is everybody okay?' And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that,"Trump bragged."

He also told Stern it was fine to refer toTrump’s daughter as a “piece of ass,”CNN reported. In addition he boasted of  having engaged in sexual threesomes.  Howard Stern's co-producer referred to Trump as a "sexual predator";  Trump laughed and did not disagree.

Now many are using that term. Here’s a rundown on the mounting allegations. (For many San Diego readers,  these allegations sound disturbingly like those leveled against ex-Mayor Bob Filner,  who pled guilty to sexual misconduct after similar allegations from multiple women.)

A journalist for People Magazine says Trump assaulted her when she went to his mansion to interview Trump and his wife,  Melania.  According to a story just published  in People, 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.”

Some allegations are for recent misconduct. Miss Universe 2013 posted on Rolling Stone that Trump "probably doesn't want me telling the story about that time he continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room."  

The New York Times interviewed two more women; one said Trump repeatedly groped her on an airplane, the other described similar actions outside an elevator.

Jessica Leeds, now 74, was a traveling businesswoman who never met Trump before she was seated next to him on a plane. She says he lifted the arm rest and began groping her breasts and reaching his hand under her skirt.  “He was like an octopus,” she said. “His hands were everywhere.” She says she fled to the back of the plane. “It was an assault,” she said.  Leeds has told the story to at least four people close to her when Trump announced his presidential run and they also spoke with The New York Times.

Rachel Crooks was a receptionist at a real estate company in New York, where she says Trump saw her outside an elevator and kissed her against her will on the mouth. She told her sister about it at the time.

Lisa Reeds  recalled a disturbing episode in the mid-1990s at a restaurant with Trump, who blocked in models trying to get up from the table.  Huffington Post reports.  Reeds said Trump told the models to walk on top of the table, where he peered under their skirts and made comments about their underwear or their genitals if they were not wearing undergarments.

Jill Harth has accused Trump of pushing her onto a bed at his estate home and attempting to rape her. 

One of Trump’s ex-wives previously also accused him of rape,  though she later recanted following a divorce settlement.

A December hearing is set on a rape case filed by a woman who says Trump repeatedly raped her when she was 13-years old at the home of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a story published today by the Independent,  the alleged victim’s lawyer says there are two witnesses to the attacks,  that reportedly included  Trump tying the 13-year-old model to a bed and forcing himself onto her.

Trump as firmly denied the woman’s rape charges, stating,“These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false.”

There’s more. Trump’s assistant editor at the Apprentice TV show recently stated, “Trump’s favorite word was ‘drill.’He was always saying between takes, ‘I’d like to drill her,’ lewdly referring to female crew members working on set Cine Montage reports.

At least 20 Apprentice TV show staff have told disturbingly similar stories about Trump, Associated Press reported this week.  One observed, “Trump would talk publicly about women's bodies on set, you know, the breasts and rear ends of women he was working with and sometimes even the female contestants he might want to sleep with.”

While boasting of sexual prowess may be crude and cheating on his wives immoral, those are not crimes. However sexually demeaning women in the workplace, even verbally, is considered sexual harassment. Touching, groping, or kissing women without their consent is sexual assault in California, New York and many other states—and even public figures such as ex-Mayor Filner have been held legally accountable for such actions.

Trump has sought to deflect attention from the allegations of sexual crimes made against him by bringing up sexual misconduct claims against  former President Bill Clinton. Clinton was held accountable for his consensual affair with Monica Lewinsky, facing impeachment proceedings for committing perjury (lying) about the affair. He also temporarily lost his law license. Others who alleged misconduct have not been able to prove their claims in a court of law and one recanted her testimony.

But even if Clinton did commit illegal acts for which he was not held accountable, he is not the candidate.  His wife,  Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, at worst remained in denial about her husband’s actions and failed to give credibility to his accusers.  Ironically, Trump has criticized his opponent for this on the campaign trail but is now engaged in denigrating the many women making accusations against him,  with derogatory comments about everything from their looks to their credibility.

Meanwhile more of the women are lawyering up. Some have reportedly spoken with prominent women’s rights and civil rights attorney Gloria Allred.

Allred recently stated that the actions described on tape by Trump amount to sexual assault and battery.  “If Mr. Trump were to be elected president he would be the employer of the largest workforce in the country, federal government employees, “Allred notes. “Mr. Trump in that role would be sending a message through his past words and actions that sexual harassment of women in the workplace is acceptable and this could lead to other employers believing that they can follow Mr. Trump’s lead and openly sexually harass their female employees, thereby creating and condoning a hostile workplace for working women.”