INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The White House has denied the "absurd" acccusations against Donald Trump.A woman who worked on Donald Trump's presidential campaign sued
the president on Monday, accusing him of kissing her without consent before a 2016 rally in Tampa, Florida.Alva Johnson said in the lawsuit,
filed in US District Court in Florida's Middle District, that the alleged incident was "part of a pattern of predatory and harassing
behaviour towards women" by Trump."This accusation is absurd on its face," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement"This
never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eye witness accounts
"Trump has denied charges by a number of women who said he groped and kissed them over a period of years without permission
The lawsuit alleges the encounter occurred inside a campaign RV before a rally on Aug 24, 2016While leaving a meeting in the vehicle, Trump
gripped Johnson by the hand and leaned in so close that she felt his breath, the lawsuit says
Johnson turned her head, trying to avoid a kiss, but Trump still managed to kiss the corner of her mouth, the lawsuit saysJohnson claims
Trump had to move deliberately because her face was framed by a baseball cap
"She felt confused and humiliated," the lawsuit said
High-profile Trump supporters including then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump's Florida campaign director Karen Giorno were in
the RV at the time, the lawsuit saidBoth told the Washington Post, which first reported the lawsuit, that they saw nothing inappropriate
Johnson is seeking financial damages and a court order to prohibit Trump "from grabbing, kissing or otherwise assaulting or harassing women
without prior express consent
"According to the lawsuit, Johnson called her partner and her parents in tears the day of the encounter with Trump and described what had
happenedShe said fellow campaign workers subsequently joked about the kiss after Giorno shared details
In a phone interview on Monday, Johnson's lawyer, Hassan Zavareei, rejected the White House denial and said the witness accounts were not
credibleHe said Johnson, 43, a mother of four living in Alabama, was not available for an interview and worries about her family's safety as
The lawsuit said Johnson also experienced discrimination as one of the campaign's few female and African-American staff members.She earned
less than her colleagues and experienced "a larger culture of racist and sexist behaviour," the lawsuit said.(Except for the headline, this
story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
