On Sunday morning during an interview on CBS's Face the Nation, Nikki Haley, the ex-governor of South Carolina and the current U.S. Ambassador to the UN, temporarily broke from the administration's denial of sexual misconduct allegations against the president, by stating that those accusations against Trump "should be heard."
After being asked about those claims, she said, "I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them."
She later added, "They should be heard, and they should be dealt with. And I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up."
The question (and renewed interest) comes in the midst of a movement that has seen the ousting of representatives like John Conyers (D-Mich.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), and senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) within the past week. In fact, during his resignation speech, Franken made reference to Trump's infamous October 2016 "Grab them by the pussy" Access Hollywood tape by saying "I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office."
In 2016, while still campaigning, Trump was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment. Recently he has stated that those allegations were both "made-up stuff," and "totally fake news," while also casting doubt about the authenticity of that aforementioned Access Hollywood tape. Additionally he is currently trying to block a defamation suit that was filed in New York's Supreme Court by one of those accusers.
