59 female lawmakers call for Oversight probe into sexual allegations against Trump

Nearly 60 Democratic female lawmakers are calling on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to open an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against President Trump. 

In a letter, 59 members of the Democratic Women’s Working Group (DWWG) ask Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) to open an investigation into the matter after more than a dozen women have “publicly accused the President of sexual misconduct.” 

The DWWG plans to hold a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday to emphasize the call, one day after three of Trump’s accusers united to tell their stories at a joint news conference.

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The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the new letter, but in the past has vehemently denied the allegations.

The request comes at a time when women are coming forward with their “Me Too” accounts and shining a light on sexual misconduct. The accusations have led to a wave of resignations and ousters of prominent men who served in politics, the media, Hollywood and other industries. 

“In the time of ‘Me Too,’ women across the country are coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault. Members of Congress have also come under scrutiny and investigation, with some resigning, for improper sexual conduct. We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr. Trump,” the DWWG members wrote.

The female lawmakers said Trump’s “own remarks appear to back up the allegations,” referring to the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape that surfaced during the 2016 election, in which he boasted about groping and kissing women without their consent.

“The President has boasted in public and in crude terms that he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women. Subsequently, Mr. Trump apologized and called it ‘locker room talk.’ He has since called all his accusers liars,” they wrote, asking the Oversight panel for a decision within 10 days.

Hours before the letter was released, Jessica Leeds, Samantha Holvey and Rachel Crooks called on Congress to open an investigation into their allegations against Trump, as well as those of roughly a dozen other women.

“I ask that Congress put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump’s history of sexual misconduct,” Crooks said.