Trump compares himself to Kavanaugh in latest allegationof sexual assault

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump compared himself to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday following a fresh allegation that Trump sexually assaulted a woman in the mid-1990s.

Trump vehemently denied the accusation and said it was akin to the accusations of sexual assault that roiled Kavanaugh's confirmation to the high court in 2018.

"People have to be careful because they are playing with very dangerous territory," Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing to Camp David. "When they do that, and it's happening more and more, when you look at what happened to Justice Kavanaugh, and you look at what happened to others, you can't do that for the sake of publicity."

E. Jean Carroll, a magazine writer and advice columnist, alleges that in 1995 she encountered Trump at a high-end department store in Manhattan and agreed to help him shop for a gift for a woman. It was there, she says, that Trump attacked her in a dressing room. She is telling her story for the first time in a new book, excerpts of which were published in New York Magazine.

Carroll spoke Friday to The Washington Post, as did a friend who Carroll confided in at the time. The friend corroborated the details of the alleged assault.

In a statement released Friday night, Trump said it never happened and that he did not know Carroll. Asked about it Saturday morning, Trump again said he had no idea who Caroll was.

Asked about a photograph that shows Trump from behind with his former wife, Ivana, and chatting with Carroll, Trump was dismissive, saying: "Standing with my coat on in a line, give me a break. With my back to the camera. I have no idea who she is."

Kavanaugh also denied knowing Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a house party in high school. Ford testified under oath in Congress about the incident.

Carroll's accusation adds to those of at least 16 other women who have alleged Trump groped or kissed them without their consent.

Jill Harth, one of the women who has accused Trump, tweeted Saturday morning, "Deja Vu? Kudos to @ejeancarroll for coming forward with her account. Ironically, what happened to her was almost verbatim to what happened to me at Mar A Lago in 1993."

Harth worked with Trump on a beauty pageant in Atlantic City and it was during their business dealings that she alleges Trump attempted to rape her.

In South Carolina Saturday, some of the 2020 presidential candidates vying to take on Trump, were asked about the latest allegations against him. They said they weren't surprised.

"We know Donald Trump's character, and it's revealed every single day," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said, shaking her head. "There aren't any real surprises here other than the details."

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, echoed that sentiment.

"There's a lot of people who aren't surprised by anything he does, which has happened over time," Ryan said. "And that is worrisome."

Ryan also said if the allegations "seem legitimate, we should move forward with some kind of hearings and further investigate."

There are few limits on congressional inquiries. But criminal charges could not be brought against Trump because the alleged assault happened before New York state changed its laws to end the statute of limitations on reporting rape.

Washington Gov. Jay Insell, D, wasn't even sure it was worth adding the sexual assault claim to the long list of areas the Democrats are probing as it pertains to Trump.

“You probably don’t need another thing to prove that this is a person who is deceptive, repeatedly, lies as a matter of habit, and is a backstabber, cork screwer and dirty dealer par excellence,” he said. “So is that necessary to add that to the pile? I don’t know the answer to that.”