Trump Being Sued By Former Staffer For Nonconsensual Kiss During Campaign

Donald Trump

A former campaign staffer has filed a lawsuit alleging Donald Trump kissed her during a campaign event in 2016.

From The Washington Post:

In interviews with The Washington Post, and in the lawsuit, Alva Johnson said Trump grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her on the lips as he exited an RV outside the rally in Tampa on Aug. 24, 2016. Johnson said she turned her head and the unwanted kiss landed on the side of her mouth, which she called “super-creepy and inappropriate.”

“I immediately felt violated because I wasn’t expecting it or wanting it,” she said. “I can still see his lips coming straight for my face.”

Johnson said she told her boyfriend, mother and stepfather about the incident later that day, an account all three confirmed to The Post. Two months later, Johnson consulted a Florida attorney about the unwanted kiss; he gave The Post text messages showing that he considered her “credible” but did not take her case for business reasons. The attorney gave Johnson the name of a therapist, whose notes, which The Post reviewed, reference an unspecified event during the campaign that had left her distraught.

Trump famously said on the Access Hollywood video, “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."

So, he's basically accused of doing what he said he does.

The White House denies the allegation.

Former Florida Attorney General (and Trump supporter) Pam Bondi, who was present at the event, said she did not see the incident.

"Do I recall seeing anything inappropriate? One hundred percent no. I'm a prosecutor, and if I saw something inappropriate, I would have said something." Bondi also didn't investigate Trump University fraud after Trump wrote her a $25k check for her reelection fund.

BREAKING: Trump campaign staffer Alva Johnson has accused Trump of forcing an unwanted kiss on her during the 2016 campaign. The White House denies her claim. She joins a long and growing list of women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. pic.twitter.com/EffZjP9XfE

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 25, 2019