Lashing back, Trump calls accusers 'horrible, horrible liars'

Jessica Leeds arrives at her apartment building Wednesday in New York. Leeds was one of two women who told the New York Times Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump touched her inappropriately.
Jessica Leeds arrives at her apartment building Wednesday in New York. Leeds was one of two women who told the New York Times Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump touched her inappropriately.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Lashing back, Donald Trump heatedly rejected the growing list of sexual assault allegations against him as "pure fiction" on Thursday, hammering his female accusers as "horrible, horrible liars" as the already-nasty presidential campaign sank further into charges of attacks on women.

Campaign foe Hillary Clinton said "the disturbing stories just keep on coming" about her Republican opponent, but she let first lady Michelle Obama's passionate response carry the day. Obama, in battleground New Hampshire, warned the New York billionaire's behavior "is not something we can ignore."

After years of working to end "this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect we're hearing these exact same things on the campaign trail. We are drowning in it," Obama declared, her voice cracking with emotion. "We can't expose our children to this any longer, not for another minute, let alone for four years."

With Election Day less than four weeks away, Republican Trump was again forced to defend himself against allegations of sexual misconduct, five days after a video surfaced in which he bragged about kissing and groping women without their permission.

Similar behavior was detailed by women who accused Trump in articles published late Wednesday by the New York Times and the Palm Beach Post. Separately, a People Magazine reporter offered a first-person account accusing Trump of attacking her while she was in Florida to interview him and his pregnant wife.

Ever defiant, the New York billionaire denied the allegations and blamed them on Hillary Clinton's campaign and the complicit news media as he campaigned in Florida. He promised to sue his media critics and said he was preparing evidence that would discredit his female accusers, whom he called "horrible people. They're horrible, horrible liars."

He went further during an evening appearance in Columbus, Ohio, saying he "never met" some of the women.

"I don't know who they are," he insisted and said they "made up stories."

"These vicious claims about me, of inappropriate conduct with women, are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it," he said earlier. He offered no evidence discrediting the new reports except to ask why his accusers had waited years and then made their allegations less than a month before the election.

His comments came soon after he called a reporter "a sleazebag" for asking whether Trump had ever touched or groped a woman without her consent.

Trump's attacks on his accusers' credibility marked an awkward break from campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, who earlier in the week highlighted a Clinton tweet that said "every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported."

Conway hoped to encourage more women to come forward with allegations against Bill Clinton, building on the campaign's Sunday decision to bring three of the former president's accusers to the second presidential debate.

Trump running mate Mike Pence ditched the national reporters who pay to travel with his campaign in Pennsylvania. The Indiana governor's Twitter account showed him meeting with faith leaders and stopping at a restaurant - after a Pence spokesman said the vice presidential nominee was attending closed-door fundraisers.

Republican leaders across the country said they were deeply troubled by the allegations against Trump, but there was no evidence of new defections. Over the weekend, dozens of Republican senators and congressmen vowed they would not vote for him, with many calling on him to step aside.

Some recanted after an aggressive weekend debate performance. And in what he called an increasingly "muddy" election, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson raised complaints about Hillary Clinton on Thursday but wondered aloud what could change voters' minds at this point.

"Is there a deal-breaker out there? How many emails have to be destroyed? How many investigations have to be concluded with question marks? How many comments have to come out from one campaign in reference to religious institutions that raises concerns?"

More Trump accusers may be coming forward, according to attorney Gloria Allred, who said women have contacted her office in recent days.

"The dam has broken, and more women will be coming forward," she said.

The stories about Trump and his countercharges against Clinton's husband have plunged an already rancorous campaign to new lows. They also have distracted attention from the release of thousands of hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta that included some potentially damaging information.

A new batch indicated on Thursday her 2008 presidential campaign had tried to move the Illinois Democratic primary to a later date, believing it might help her. The emails are being parceled out by WikiLeaks.