Gloria Allred, Women's Groups Call For Release Of Trump 'Apprentice' Tapes
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Attorney Gloria Allred and a handful of women's groups are joining a movement calling for the release of unaired footage of Donald Trump from his days starring on NBC's "The Apprentice."
Trump starred on the show for 11 years, from 2004 until 2015. Trump and NBC parted ways last year after Trump made comments about Mexican immigrants that network executives deemed racist.
In recent weeks there has been a growing call from anti-Trump groups for unaired footage from the show to be leaked to the public.
Yesterday, a group of online petitioners began raising money to pay legal fees incurred by whomever leaks the tapes. (MGM, which owns "Apprentice" executive producer Mark Burnett's production company, says it cannot legally release the footage).
Allred and a consortium of women's groups said they are planning a protest outside MGM's Beverly Hills headquarters for 2 p.m. Tuesday to put pressure on the studio. Allred said she'll be joined by representatives from the National Organization for Women, the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus, the Feminist Majority and California NOW.
The activists said they believe the cutting room floor footage would inform voters of Trump's true views of minority groups and women.
"Trump has made a campaign issue of his attitudes about women, African Americans, Latina/os, and other marginalized groups by his own statements and policy proposals," Allred and the groups said in a statement Tuesday. "Voters have a compelling need to view and hear what this man says about those issues behind the scenes."
The movement calling for the release of the "Apprentice" tapes follows the release of hot mic footage from a 2005 appearance on "Access Hollywood" in which Trump spoke boastingly of trying to kiss, grope and have sex with women who were not his wife.
A former "Apprentice" producer said on Twitter that the release of tapes from the NBC reality show would provide more evidence of Trump's demeanor and beliefs.
As a producer on seasons 1 & 2 of #theapprentice I assure you: when it comes to the #trumptapes there are far worse. #justthebegininng
— Bill Pruitt (@billpruitt) October 8, 2016
Alred, who has represented some of Bill Cosby's alleged sexual assault victims, said Monday she has been contacted by women claiming to have been sexually harassed or abused by Trump.