Trump Reportedly Questioning Authenticity of ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape

“When You’re a Star, They Let You Do It”

Donald Trump, likening himself to embattled Senate hopeful Roy Moore, is reportedly questioning the authenticity of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which he brags about sexual assaulting women.

Moore has been accused by at least nine women of various acts of inappropriate behavior, child sexual assault, and sexual assault including groping. Moore reportedly has a history of hitting on teenaged girls as young as 14, and many of his accusers have advised they were 16 to 18 when he pursued them.

In a report detailing Trump’s break from some Republicans with his defense of Moore, The New York Times noted that the president had privately vented about his daughter Ivanka’s condemnation of the potential US Senator. But “something deeper has been consuming Mr. Trump,” they further reported:

He sees the calls for Mr. Moore to step aside as a version of the response to the now-famous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitalia, and the flood of groping accusations against him that followed soon after. He suggested to a senator earlier this year that it was not authentic, and repeated that claim to an adviser more recently. (In the hours after it was revealed in October 2016, Mr. Trump acknowledged that the voice was his, and he apologized.)

So Mr. Trump has been particularly open to the idea, pushed by Mr. Moore’s defenders, that the candidate is being wrongly accused, even as Mr. McConnell and a parade of other Republicans have said they believe the accusers.

It was just over a year ago that the nation learned of the “Access Hollywood” tape, recorded in 2005. As NCRM reported at the time:

Video has surfaced of Donald Trump bragging about kissing, groping, trying to have sex with various women, and making lewd comments about women while married to Melania Trump.

The video, obtained by The Washington Post, was recorded in 2005, mostly on a bus trip as Trump and Billy Bush were headed to a studio where the billionaire would record a cameo for the soap “Days of Our Lives.” 

Trump, while bragging, told Bush, “when you’re a star, they let you do it.”

“I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump says in the video. 

“I did try and f— her. She was married,” Trump also says.

“And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, ‘I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.’”

“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” Trump says. “Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”

“I’ve gotta use some tic tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump continues.“You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

“Grab them by the p—y,” Trump also says. “You can do anything.”

“And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump brags. “You can do anything.”

The video can can be seen below:

At least 16 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

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