Donald Trump accused of sexual harassment by two ex-White House staff

The former president is accused of “countless cases” of sexual harassment - this time from former White House aides.

Two former White House aides have accused former President Donald Trump of sexual harassment, saying they witnessed the inappropriate behaviour towards female staff.

Alyssa Farah Griffin and Stephanie Grisham, who both worked in communications for Mr Trump, detailed their accounts of his alleged improper behaviour on CNN.

It came days after a jury found Mr Trump liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store in the mid-1990s.

The panel awarded he $US5 million ($A7.2m) in damages for sexual assault and defamation and marked the first time a former US president has been branded, legally, as a sexual predator.

Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham has come forward with sexual harassment claims. Picture: AFP

Former White House Communications Director Ms Griffin, who quit in December 2020, said she saw “countless cases” of Mr Trump’s misconduct in the White House and reported it to the chiefs of staff.

“I have countless cases of what I considered impropriety in the White House that I brought to the chief of staff because I thought the way he engaged with women was dangerous,” Ms Griffin said while discussing the verdict on CNN.

”Nothing that rises to this level [his abuse of Carroll] but things that I would consider improper and that I had a duty to report.

Meanwhile, former Trump White House press secretary Ms Grisham said she too had reported Mr Trump’s actions towards a woman on her team to chiefs of staff.

Stephanie Grisham said Donald Trump would often comment on women’s physical appearances. Picture: AFP

She said the then-president would often comment on women’s physical appearances and speculate about cosmetic surgeries they could have undergone.

“He one time had one of my other deputies bring her back so that they could look at her ass is what he said to him,” Ms Grisham said.

“I did everything I could to keep her off of trips actually and to stay with her if she was with him alone because I was really nervous about what could happen and this was before I knew kind of any of the E. Jean Carroll allegations.”

Ms Grisham even claims that every senior staff member was aware of Mr Trump’s behaviour, but there was little they could do.

“I think at the end of the day, what could they do other than go in there and say, ‘This isn’t good, sir?’,” she said. “And you know, Donald Trump will do what Donald Trump wants to do.”

Trump has so far not commented on the allegations.

TRUMP SLAMS SEX ABUSE VERDICT IN WILD TV APPEARANCE

The accusations come as Mr Trump refused to commit to accepting the results of next year’s presidential election, as he doubled down on his false claim that the 2020 poll was rigged and vowed to pardon his supporters who invaded the US Capitol.

In a fiery town hall on CNN, the former president bragged about his poll numbers improving after a New York jury found he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, saying she was a “wack job” as he boasted “women let you” grab them without permission “if you’re a star”.

Donald Trump let loose in a wild town hall on CNN.

He also sidestepped questions about whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war against Russia, instead choosing to complain about how much the US was spending to support its defence while suggesting he could end the war in a day if re-elected.

Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, appeared on the network he once dubbed the “enemy of the people” to take questions from Republican primary voters in New Hampshire as well as CNN’s chief anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Donald Trump was grilled by CNN’s chief anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Donald Trump was grilled about refusing to hand over classified documents.

Kaitlan Collins was called a “nasty person” by Donald Trump.

In the most tense moment of the event, as he was grilled about refusing to hand over classified documents he took with him after leaving the White House, Mr Trump called Ms Collins “a nasty person”, prompting cheers from his supporters.

The former president maintained without evidence that his 2020 defeat at the hands of Joe Biden was “rigged”, although he stepped back from his argument in December that the Constitution should be terminated and he should be reinstated as the president.

Writer E. Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan courthouse after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a Manhattan department store. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Asked about the Capitol riot on January 6, and his actions which are being probed in a federal criminal investigation, Mr Trump said he had no regrets about what he described as “a beautiful day”.

He accused the police officer who shot and killed a protester of being a “thug” and said he was “inclined to pardon many” of more than 1000 people who were charged over the riot.

“They are living in hell right now … Many of them are just great people,” Mr Trump said.

Pushed on whether he would accept the results of next year’s election, the former president said he would only do so “if I think it’s an honest election”.

On Ms Carroll’s civil lawsuit, Mr Trump said he had “no idea who the hell she is” – despite having been photographed with her before the attack in the 1990s – as he claimed the case was part of an “election interference” plot against him.

He doubled down on his comments about grabbing women by their genitals, saying: “If you’re a star … women let you.”

“I can’t take it back because it happens to be true … It’s been true for one million years,” Mr Trump said.

Grilled over the war in Ukraine, Mr Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “smart guy” who made a “tremendous mistake” by invading.

But when asked whether he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win, he said he did not “think in terms of winning and losing”, and he refused to acknowledge Mr Putin was a war criminal.

On domestic issues, Mr Trump encouraged Republicans to force the US government to default on its loans – a move that could spark a global financial crisis – unless Mr Biden agreed to sweeping spending cuts.

He vowed to protect gun rights “through thick and thin”, instead suggesting the solution to mass shootings was to “harden” public places including schools and ensure Americans could defend themselves with firearms.

And he refused to say whether he would sign a national abortion ban if re-elected.

Originally published as Donald Trump accused of sexual harassment by two ex-White House staff