A former model accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault Thursday, saying he forcibly kissed and groped her at the 1997 U.S. Open in New York.
Amy Dorris told the Guardian that Trump forced his tongue down her throat and grabbed her butt and breasts outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the tennis tournament.
“He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off. And then that’s when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything,” Dorris told the Guardian, adding that she “couldn’t get out” of the real estate mogul’s grip.
She pushed his tongue with her teeth, she said, possibly hurting it.
“It was pretty traumatic and jarring and shocking,” she added.
According to the Guardian, Dorris backed up her account by producing her U.S. Open ticket as well as photos of herself with Trump. The paper also said it corroborated the story with confidants Dorris recounted it to. Trump was married to second wife Marla Maples at the time of the alleged assault.
Dorris said she considered speaking publicly when numerous other women began making similar accusations during the 2016 campaign season, but feared retribution.
“Now I feel like my girls are about to turn 13 years old and I want them to know that you don’t let anybody do anything to you that you don’t want,” the mother of twins said. “And I’d rather be a role model. I want them to see that I didn’t stay quiet, that I stood up to somebody who did something that was unacceptable.”
A lawyer for the president did not immediately return a request for comment, but the Guardian noted Trump’s attorneys have denied the accusation. Legal adviser Jenna Ellis told Fox News, “The allegations are totally false. We will consider every legal means available to hold The Guardian accountable for its malicious publication of this unsubstantiated story. This is just another pathetic attempt to attack President Trump right before the election.”
Numerous women — including “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, magazine writer E. Jean Carroll and People writer Natasha Stoynoff — have accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump denies all accusations.
Watch Dorris’ interview with The Guardian above.