Congresswomen call for investigation into claims of sexual misconduct

US President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Photo / AP

More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the US House of Representatives called for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, who has denied the accusations.

"We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr Trump," the lawmakers wrote in their letter, though a formal inquiry was unlikely to result because Republicans control the agenda in Congress.

The letter, spearheaded by the Democratic women's working group, which is composed of all the party's female members in the House, was signed by 56 lawmakers.

It followed a call earlier today by three women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct for a congressional investigation into his behaviour.

The lawmakers' request for a probe was sent to leaders of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the House.

Over the past two years, more than a dozen women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them in the years before he entered politics. The letter from the Democrats said there were at least 17 accusers and listed names.

"The President's own remarks appear to back up the allegations," the letter said, saying Trump had boasted "that he feels at liberty to perpetrate such conduct against women."

"The President should be allowed to present evidence in his own defence," said the lawmakers.

The letter was addressed to oversight panel chairman Trey Gowdy, a Republican, and top Democrat Elijah Cummings.

Rachel Crooks, left, Jessica Leeds, centre, and Samantha Holvey attend a news conference in New York to discuss their accusations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump. Photo / AP

Trump last year apologised for talking about groping women in a 2005 tape recording that surfaced weeks before the presidential election, and said he had not done the things he talked about.

More recently, Trump has told allies that the voice on the recording was not his, the New York Times reported recently.

Trump and White House officials have denied the sexual misconduct allegations against him, some of which date back to the 1980s.

"These false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year's campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," a White House spokesperson said in a statement today.

- Reuters, AAP