Another Donald Trump accuser comes out with charge of sexual misconduct
Add Jessica Drake, an adult film star, to the growing list of women who have come out alleging that she has been a victim of unwanted sexual advances by Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
Drake, speaking to reporters in Los Angeles and accompanied by feminist attorney Gloria Allred, detailed the encounter with Trump 10 years ago, when she met him at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
At the time, Drake worked as an actress for Wicked Pictures, an adult film company. She said she first met the real estate mogul at her company’s booth.
“He flirted with me and invited me to walk along the golf course with him,” Drake said. After he asked for her number, Trump invited her to his room later that night.
“Two other women came with me,” Drake said, because she was uncomfortable going alone to Trump’s penthouse suite. When they arrived at his room, she said, “he grabbed each of us tightly in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission.” A security guard was present.
According to Drake, Trump was “wearing pajamas.” The three women were asked questions about their jobs, including what it was like to film pornography.
“It felt like an interview,” Drake said. Thirty to 45 minutes later, the women left the room.
After she returned to her own accommodations, Drake said that she received a call from a man. “Donald wanted me to come back upstairs to Donald’s suite,” Drake said.
“I indicated that I did not wish to return,” she said. “Then Donald called. He asked me to return to his suite and have dinner with him. He also invited me to a party. I declined. Donald then asked me, ‘What do you want? How much?’”
Drake went on: “I told him that I couldn’t because i had to return to LA for work. I said that as an excuse because I didn’t want him to keep asking me, and I didn’t want to be with him.”
“After that, I received another call from either Donald or a male calling on his behalf offering me $10,000,” she said. “I declined again and once more gave as an excuse that I had to return to Los Angeles for work. I was then told Mr. Trump would allow me the use of his private jet if only I accepted his invitation.”
Drake said she related her experience immediately afterward to some friends but declined to share their names Saturday out of respect for their privacy.
“This is not acceptable behavior for anyone -- much less a presidential candidate,” said Drake, who identified herself as a sex education advocate whose work has focused on consent and communication. “I am not looking for monetary compensation. I do not need additional fame… I understand that I may be called a liar or an opportunist but I will risk that in order to stand in solidarity with women who share similar accounts.”
After Drake spoke, Allred, who also represents two other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, held up a photograph of Trump and Drake standing together. The photo, Allred said, was taken at the golf tournament where the two met.
Trump’s campaign denied the latest allegations shortly after Allred’s press conference, claiming that the real estate mogul didn’t recall what happened.
“This story is totally false and ridiculous,” the campaign said in a statement Saturday. “The picture is one of thousands taken out of respect for people asking to have their picture taken with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump does not know this person, does not remember this person and would have no interest in ever knowing her. This is just another attempt by the Clinton campaign to defame a candidate who just today is number one in three different polls.”
Drake is the latest woman to step forward with her story, following the unwanted kissing and groping accusations of 10 others.
The women began speaking out against Trump with allegations that spanned a period of nearly 30 years.
In a vulgar 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording with Trump, the reality television star himself boasted about his sexually aggressive behavior, saying on a hot mic that he would “grab [women] by the p****” and “just kiss” them without their permission.
After the tape became front-page news, Trump denied that he has ever touched a woman inappropriately, even suggesting that the Clinton campaign was responsible for planting the stories.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump threatened to take legal action against all the “liars” that have claimed to be victims of his sexual assaults.
“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” Trump said in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in a speech ostensibly about how he would conduct his first 100 days in the Oval Office. “Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.”
Trump has also vowed to sue some of the news outlets that have published their stories, including the New York Times and People magazine. While Trump’s lawyers have issued harshly critical letters to the two publications, the businessman has yet to file an actual lawsuit against either the Times or People.