On Monday — President’s Day, ironically — the Washington Post ran a piece on Rachel Crooks, one of the 19 women who came forward during the 2016 presidential election to accuse Donald Trump of sexual harassment or assault. Crooks, now 35, encountered Trump in 2006 while working as a receptionist for the Bayrock Group, an investment firm situated in Trump Tower.
She recalled that she would often see Trump pass by in the hallway, and when she finally worked up the courage to introduce herself to him, the Celebrity Apprentice star allegedly grabbed her by the hands and then forcibly kissed her on the cheeks and lips:
She reached for her water glass and lifted it up into the air to use as a prop. “He took hold of my hand and held me in place like this,” she said, squeezing the sides of the water glass, shaking it gently from side to side. “He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek. He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model. He wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips.”
She shook the water glass one final time and set it down. “It felt like a long kiss,” she said. “The whole thing probably lasted two minutes, maybe less.”
Crooks, who is currently running for office in Ohio’s 88th district in the state legislature, has never shied away from telling her story, even amid online threats and bullying that she details in the new Post interview. So somewhat ironically, after Trump apparently got wind of the piece (it’s unclear whether or not it was being discussed on Fox News Tuesday morning) he lashed out on Twitter, slamming what he called “another false accusation.”
“Why doesn’t [the Washington Post] report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me?” demanded the president.
A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. Never happened! Who would do this in a public space with live security……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018
….cameras running. Another False Accusation. Why doesn’t @washingtonpost report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me? One had her home mortgage paid off. Only @FoxNews so reported…doesn’t fit the Mainstream Media narrative.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018
In light of Trump’s protests, it’s worth pointing out that he still has yet to comment on the allegations of extramarital affairs with adult film star Stormy Daniels or former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.