Topline
Two former Trump White House officials said Tuesday they reported instances of what they described as the ex-president’s improper behavior towards women to other senior staffers, hours after a jury in a New York civil court found him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages.
Outgoing US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, … [+]
Key Facts
Appearing on CNN, former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin said she had seen “countless cases” of what she considers “impropriety” in the White House that she reported to Trump’s various chiefs of staff, including Mark Meadows.
When Tapper specifically asked Farah if she informed Meadows or other chiefs of staff about instances she witnessed of “Donald Trump behaving inappropriately with women,” she said she did and so did former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham, whose books included examples of Trump’s alleged harassment of women in the White House, later appeared on CNN and confirmed Farah’s claims.
Speaking to CNN anchor Erin Burnett, Grisham said she had spoken to several different chiefs of staff, including Meadows, about Trump’s behavior, but she thought there wasn’t much they could do other than tell him “This isn’t good, sir.”
Saying “Donald Trump will do what Donald Trump wants to do,” Grisham reiterated Trump’s alleged lewd remarks about a specific female staffer who she claims she had to try and protect—repeating a claim she made in her book.
Grisham said Trump had asked one of her deputies to bring the female staffer on his trips “so that they could look at her ass”
Forbes has contacted Meadows and the former president’s office for comment.
Crucial Quote
“[Trump] would always comment on women’s looks. He would even talk to me sometimes about various plastic surgeries, et cetera…But with this one staffer, it was really bad…And the sad thing is every senior staff member knew it, everybody talked about it in our White House,” Grisham told Burnett.
Key Background
Earlier on Tuesday, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil suit. The jury ruled that Carroll should receive damages totaling $5 million—$2 million for sexual abuse and $3 million for defamation due to Trump’s dismissal of the allegations as a hoax. Ahead of the trial Trump denied all allegations made by Carroll and has labeled her suit as a “political attack” attack against him. The former president reacted negatively to the verdict on his Truth Social platform, calling it “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time” and reiterating his claim that he doesn’t even know Carroll. Trump’s legal team is set to appeal the ruling. Carroll had first accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a memoir published in 2019. She alleged that the incident took place in the 1990s in a dressing room in the department store Bergdorf Goodman.
Further Reading
Trump Sexually Abused E. Jean Carroll And Owes $5 Million In Damages, Jury Finds (Forbes)
‘It Was Really Bad’: Ex-Trump White House Press Secretary Details Harassment (HuffPost)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/10/trump-white-house-aides-say-they-told-higher-ups-about-trumps-inappropriate-behavior-towards-women/