Days after an unearthed video revealed that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump boasted in 2005 that he sexually assaults women, and a slew of women came forward to say that they were among his victims, the Trump campaign says it has evidence that will prove that these women (and he) were lying.
On Thursday, Trump suggested in a campaign speech that he could not have sexually assaulted these women because they are too ugly and threatened to sue the media for publishing their claims. But now, he and his surrogates are promising something even better: documentary proof that he never sexually assaulted any of the myriad women who have come forward.
“ We already have substantial evidence to dispute these lies, and it will be made public in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time — very soon,” Trump pledged at a West Palm Beach rally.
Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University and a member of Trump’s “Evangelical executive advisory board” told CNN’s The Hour that Trump (who as recently as 2013 testified that he almost never uses email) had told him he has exculpatory electronic messages.
“He told me about emails he had from these accusers who wanted to work for him after the supposed event had occurred. And he told me about other email evidence that supports the fact that it didn’t happen,” Falwell said.
On Friday morning, Trump’s running mate Mike Pence told CBS’ This Morning that the secret evidence would come in a Friday news dump. “Before the day is out, there’ll be more evidence publicly that calls into question these latest allegations,” Pence promised. “Stay tuned. I know there’s more information that’s going to be coming out that will back his claim that this is all categorically false.”
But while it is possible that Trump’s accusers might each have emailed Trump to thank him for not sexually assaulting them, in the past he has frequently boasted of having secret information that somehow never materializes.
Last summer, after his nativist campaign kickoff speech included claims that most Mexican immigrants were drug smugglers, rapists, and criminals, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Trump to prove these claims. “Well, you’re going to find out if I have evidence. I’m not telling you now, but you’re going to find out what I have,” he vowed. No proof has been produced.
Well after President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, Trump tweeted in August 2012 that he had inside information to prove that the document was fraudulent.
An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012
Four years later, he has still not identified the “extremely credible source” or any evidence of this claim.Trump now pretends this never happened and that his birther obsession ended in 2011.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday night that Trump will blame the allegations on a complicated conspiracy involving the Clinton campaign, the New York Times, and its minority shareholder Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.