A staff member who worked on President Trump’s campaign in 2016 alleges in a new lawsuit that Trump kissed her without her consent.
Alva Johnson told the Washington Post that Trump grabbed her hand and attempted to kiss her at a gathering with supporters before a rally in Tampa, Fla., on August 24, 2016.
Johnson said the incident occurred when Trump was leaving an RV and she was able to turn her head so the kiss instead missed and landed on the side of her mouth.
“He’s coming straight for my lips. So I turn my head, and he kisses me right on corner of my mouth, still holding my hand the entire time,” Johnson told the Post. “Then he walks on out.”
Johnson added that she told her family and boyfriend about the attempted kiss by Trump the day it took place, and months later sought advice from a Florida attorney about how to handle the incident.
“I immediately felt violated because I wasn’t expecting it or wanting it,” Johnson said. “I can still see his lips coming straight for my face.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement to the Post denied the allegations.
“This never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eye witness accounts,” she wrote.
Two individuals Johnson said witnessed the kiss told the Post they did not see it take place. One was an official on Trump’s campaign and the other was former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi (R).
“Do I recall seeing anything inappropriate? One hundred percent no,” Bondi told the Post in an interview. “I’m a prosecutor, and if I saw something inappropriate, I would have said something.”
Karen Giorno, director of the Florida campaign and the other individual Johnson said witnessed the incident, told the Post “that absolutely did not happen.”
Johnson’s federal lawsuit filed in Florida on Monday seeks unspecified damages for emotional pain and suffering.
The lawsuit also alleges Johnson was discriminated against due to the fact she was paid less than her male colleagues.
Johnson served on the Trump campaign as the director of outreach and coalitions in Alabama, joining in early 2016.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/431394-former-trump-campaign-staffer-alleges-trump-kissed-her-without