Trump’s sexual misconduct accusers should be heard, says US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday that any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if she is accusing President Donald Trump.
“Women who accuse anyone should be heard,” Haley said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “They should be heard, and they should be dealt with.”
The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer.
Haley, discussing that cultural shift, applauded the women who have come forward: “I’m proud of their strength. I’m proud of their courage.”
Asked how people should assess the accusers of the president, Haley said, it was “the same thing.”
More than 10 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president. While filming a segment of the television programme Access Hollywood, he talked about kissing and groping women.
Trump has denied the misconduct allegations, although he apologised for his comments, which he called “locker room” talk.
Asked whether Trump’s election settled the matter, Haley said: “That’s for the people to decide. I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward, and we should all be willing to listen to them.”
On Tuesday, voters in the heavily Republican state of Alabama will cast their ballots in a race involving Republican Roy Moore, a former state judge, and Democrat Doug Jones, a former US attorney.
Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct toward women when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One woman said he tried to initiate sexual contact with her when she was 14.
Moore, a conservative Christian, has denied the accusations of misconduct.
Many Republicans, including Alabama’s senior US senator, Richard Shelby, have distanced themselves from Moore. But Trump has endorsed him, saying he wants to see the Senate seat stay in Republicans’ hands.
