President Donald Trump speaks during an event to declare the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in the East Room of the White House. Photo / AP
All the women who have accused President Donald Trump of sexual harassment are lying, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said when asked for the official White House position on the issue.
The question was posed during a White House briefing at a time when numerous men in high-profile
positions have been undercut of late by allegations of sexual misconduct, including journalist Mark Halperin, who faced accusations this week from former colleagues.
"Obviously, sexual harassment has been in the news," Jacqueline Alemany of CBS News asked Sanders. "At least 16 women accused the president of sexually harassing them throughout the course of the campaign. Last week, during a press conference in the Rose Garden, the president called these accusations 'fake news.' Is the official White House position that all of these women are lying?"
"Yeah, we've been clear on that from the beginning, and the president's spoken on it," Sanders said, before quickly pivoting to another reporter to ask a question.
During the Rose Garden news conference that Alemany referenced, Trump was asked about allegations made by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on his television show, "The Apprentice." She has accused Trump of forcibly kissing her and touching her breast.
