President Trump accused of sexual assault by writer E. Jean Carroll

Writer and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll became the latest woman to accuse President Donald Trump of assault, telling New York magazine that Trump allegedly assaulted her in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.

Carroll’s account of the assault includes Trump asking her to advise him on what to buy for “a girl” and suggesting Carroll try on a lace bodysuit. Carroll says she deflected by suggesting Trump try it on instead. Once they made their way to the dressing rooms, however, things turned violent and Trump raped her, according to Carroll.

Carroll says she told two friends about the assault at the time and New York magazine verified her account with both friends.

The White House denied her accusations, telling New York, “This is a completely false and unrealistic story surfacing 25 years after allegedly taking place and was created simply to make the President look bad.”

Carroll’s account of Trump’s assault comes from an excerpt from her new book, “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal”, which will be published on July 2 by St. Martin’s Press.

Carroll’s allegation makes her just the latest in a long line of women to accuse Trump of a broad range of misconduct, from inappropriate comments and harassment to rape.

Carroll also writes of five other incidents in which other men attacked her, and while her particular claims involve accusations against higher-profile individuals, the rest of her story is a common one. One in five American women is raped during her lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and violence against women remains a problem, both in the U.S., and in Virginia.

Carroll said she held back from sharing her story because she dreads the public humiliation that awaits her.

“Receiving death threats, being driven from my home, being dismissed, being dragged through the mud and joining the 15 women who’ve come forward with credible stories about how the man grabbed, badgered, belittled, mauled, molested, and assaulted them, only to see the man turn it around, deny, threaten, and attack them, never sounded like much fun.”