Woman who claimed Donald Trump forcibly kissed her in tower lobby to stand for Democrats

Ohio election: former receptionist Rachel Crooks claims she was sexually harassed
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David Gardner9 May 2018
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A former receptionist who accused Donald Trump of kissing her without consent in the lobby at Trump Tower has won the Democratic nomination to seek office in a key swing state.

Rachel Crooks, who claims she was sexually harassed in 2006, was selected unopposed to contest a seat in Ohio’s House of Representatives. She is one of 19 women who have accused the president of sexual misconduct.

The 35-year-old university administrator will face Republican representative Bill Reineke in November’s election.

Ms Crooks says she is running in part because Mr Trump has escaped any consequences for allegedly harassing her and a number of other women.

She claims she was 22 when she met him at the Trump Tower lift. “He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek. He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model,” she told the Washington Post in February.

US President Donald Trump 
REUTERS

“He wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips.” The president denied the claim, tweeting: “A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. “Never happened! Who would do this in a public space with live security?”

During her primary campaign, Ms Crooks hit back on Twitter, telling Mr Trump to “by all means, share the footage from the hallway outside the 24th floor residential elevator bank on the morning of January 11, 2006. Let’s clear this up for everyone. It’s liars like you in politics that prompted me to run for office.”

Meanwhile a bombshell new claim was made over allegations that porn star Stormy Daniels was paid hush money before the 2016 presidential election over her alleged fling with Mr Trump.

According to her lawyer Michael Avenatti, a Russian oligarch who reportedly has close ties to Vladimir Putin paid $500,000 (£370,000) to Mr Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen.

Mr Avenatti claimed cash from Viktor Vekselberg went into a bank account set up by Mr Cohen to pay $130,000 (£96,000) to buy Daniels’s co-operation. The New York Times said it had re-viewed financial records that backed up the story, and Mr Vekselberg, one of Russia’s richest men, was questioned by investigators working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller after his private jet was stopped at a US airport this year. Mr Mueller is probing suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Mr Avenatti said Mr Vekselberg routed payments to Mr Cohen’s firm, Essential Consultants, between January and August 2017. The deposits were made by Columbus Nova, a US company affiliated with the Russian billionaire.

Columbus Nova said the payment was a consulting fee and had nothing to do with Mr Vekselberg. Mr Trump has said he had no knowledge of the payment to Daniels or where the cash came from.

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