We all know that Donald Trump is no stranger to the spotlight, which is how he ended up accidentally saying horrible things about women into a recording microphone while waiting to make a television appearance. Now that those comments are public, the Republican nominee has found himself at the center of a string of sexual misconduct allegations. According to NBC News, 11 women have come forward throughout the last few weeks to accuse Trump of failing to request consent before he kissed or touched them. Trump is totally unamused, so he threatened Saturday to sue the women accusing him.
“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign, total fabrication. The events never happened, never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over,” Trump said during a Saturday campaign stop in Gettysburg, Penn., according to TIME. CNN reports the candidate then promised to take legal action against the women who believe he touched them inappropriately during past encounters.
Jill Harth, one of Trump’s accusers, has stated that Trump approached her sexually twice in the early 1990s. The contact was unwanted, so Harth is now represented by Lisa Bloom, who tweeted that she is prepared to face the aspiring POTUS in court.
If Trump sues accusers we then have subpoena power to require not only Trump but all his enablers to appear for depositions. A field day.
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) October 22, 2016
Other accusers include Cathy Heller and Temple Taggart, who both claim to have been kissed by Trump without providing him with permission to do so.
Taggart expected Trump’s reaction, but she wishes he were less defensive. "Regardless, it's still disappointing to think that Mr. Trump lacks enough humility and decency to simply come clean and admit his part in all of this rather than attempt to conceal the truth and silence his accusers by threatening a lawsuit," she told CNN.
If you’re wondering whether Trump actually has the fire to fuel a legitimate lawsuit, Yale Law School senior fellow and media law expert Sandra Baron told TIME that there may, at this point, be too much evidence stacked against him. “It’ll be his obligation to prove that what the women said was false and defamatory,” she said.