Two Republican lawmakers have condemned newly leaked comments by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who brags about groping women in a 2005 recording obtained by the Washington Post.
New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is running for reelection and has sought to distance herself from the bombastic party nominee on several occasions, was the first Republican member of Congress to publicly condemn Trump’s 2005 comments following their release in a one sentence statement to ABC News.
“His comments are totally inappropriate and offensive” Ayotte said.
And the comments were panned by the Republican National Committee. “No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,” chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has been a prominent detractor of Trump’s throughout the election, took to Twitter to again disparage his party’s nominee following the recording’s release.
The Trump campaign put out a statement after the recording’s leak, apologizing for any “offense” that was caused by the recorded conversation that the campaign described as “locker room banter.”
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended,” Trump’s statement reads.
But former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski appeared to defend his former boss.
In the recording, Trump can be heard talking to former “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush about how he makes moves on women to whom he’s attracted.
“You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait,” Trump can be heard saying on the tape.
“And when you’re a star they let you do it… You can do anything.”
“Grab them by the p—-,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”
ABC News did not immediately receive a response from NBC Universal, which owns “Access Hollywood.”