An 11th woman came forward Saturday to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct, alleging that Trump or one of his associates once offered her $10,000 to accept a “private invitation” to his suite.
Jessica Drake made the allegations during a press conference with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, who has represented two other women making accusations of sexual misconduct the Republican nominee in recent weeks.
Drake said the incident with Trump took place in 2006, while she was working for the adult-film company Wicked Pictures. The two were attending a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
She said after meeting Trump and touring the golf course with him, he invited her to his penthouse suite. Drake said she accepted but brought two other women, as she “didn’t feel right” going alone.
Once there, Drake said, Trump grabbed each woman tightly and kissed them without their consent.
After she left, Drake said she received calls from Trump, who she said asked her to return to his suite and invited her to a party.
When Drake declined, she said, Trump asked her, “What do you want? How much?”
After continuing to decline and saying she had to return to Los Angeles for work, Drake said she received another call, either from Trump or a man calling on his behalf, offering $10,000 and use of his private jet if she accepted his private invitation.
“This is not acceptable behavior for anyone, much less a presidential candidate,” Drake said at the press conference. “I realize that in this situation, I may be but a tiny grain of sand, but clearly this is an enormous beach.”
Drake said she told some friends about the experience immediately after it happened, but that she wouldn’t share their names with the press.
“I understand that I may be called a liar or an opportunist, but I will risk that in order to stand in solidarity with women who share similar accounts that span many, many years,” Drake said.
Trump has denied all allegations against him, and said earlier on Saturday he plans to sue his accusers after Election Day. His campaign released a statement Saturday afternoon calling Drake’s accusations “totally false and ridiculous.”
“Mr. Trump does not know this person, does not remember this person and would have no interest in ever knowing her. This is just another attempt by the Clinton campaign to defame a candidate who just today is number one in three different polls,” the statement read.
Last week, after another woman and former “Apprentice” candidate whom Allred is representing came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, Trump attacked Allred as part of his response to the accusations.
“When Gloria Allred is given the same weighting on national television as the President of the United States, and unfounded accusations are treated as fact, with reporters throwing due diligence and fact-finding to the side in a rush to file their stories first, it’s evident that we truly are living in a broken system,” he said then.
As reported by Business Insider