Trump’s accuser Jessica Leeds testified about the alleged assault

[ad_1]

Donald Trump’s accuser Jessica Leeds told a jury Tuesday that it felt like the former president had “40 zillion hands” when he allegedly groped her on a plane in the late 1970s.

Leeds — who first came forward with her allegations during the 2016 presidential election — took the stand in Manhattan federal court to testify on behalf of E. Jean Carroll in the former New York Magazine advice columnist’s rape case against Trump, 76.

“We were sitting there and all of a sudden Trump decided to kiss me and chase me,” Leeds, 81, testified about the alleged incident on a flight to New York in 1979.

Leeds said he and Trump had a “fight” that lasted a few seconds.

“He was trying to kiss me and trying to pull me,” Leeds testified. “he grabbed my chest. It’s like he has 40 zillion hands.”

A flight attendant invited him to sit in first class, where “the gentleman sitting by the window introduced himself as Donald Trump,” he recalled.

The pair had a little “chit-chat,” Leeds told the jury in the ongoing trial of Carroll’s case against the former commander-in-chief.

Trump then sought her out “out of the blue,” Leeds testified.

“When he started to put his hand up my skirt that’s what gave me the courage and I was able to wriggle out of the seat and back into my coach seat,” Leeds said on the stand.

He said while the incident only lasted a few seconds, “it felt like an eternity.”

Jessica Leeds testifies about Donald Trump allegedly sexually assaulting her on a plane in 1979. Alec Tabak

Leeds said she wondered what the people around her were thinking seeing the struggle and wondered why no one came to her aid.

“The guy sitting next to me, his eyes were like saucers,” Leeds recounted. “I remember thinking, ‘Where is the stewardess and why didn’t anyone come and help me.’ I realized that no one was going to help me and I had to do it myself.

“That’s when I got the strength to get up and go out,” he said.

Years later, in 1981, when Trump – with then-wife Ivana Trump – ran into Leeds at a charity gala, he said, “I remember you,” Leeds testified. “You’re that girl from the plane.”

Leeds said Trump was starting to target him “out of the blue.”AP

“It was like a bucket of cold water was thrown on me,” Leeds said.

Leeds did not come forward with his accusations until October 2016 following a presidential debate in which Trump addressed a 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording of himself saying he had groped women by the genitals and they let him because he was a star.

“I’m ashamed of [the tape]but I have tremendous respect for women and women have respect for me,” Trump said at the time.

Leeds testified in E. Jean Carroll’s civil rape case against the former president.ALEC TABAK Earlier on Tuesday, Carroll’s friend Lisa Birnbach testified about a call from Carroll after the alleged assault.REUTERS

Leeds said that following the debate, he decided to go to the New York Times with his accusations.

“After the debate where Trump denied that he had been aggressive toward women, I was so angry that I couldn’t sleep,” Leeds said in court Tuesday. “I was angry because he was lying.”

After Leeds appeared, Trump said he was being “viciously attacked with lies and sarcasm.”

Leeds was called by Carroll’s team as likely to show jurors that Trump has a history of sexual misconduct and lend more credibility to Carroll’s account.

Carroll, 79, said Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room likely in 1996 and then vilified her by denying the incident happened, denying he knew her and calling the accusations a “fraud.”

Earlier Tuesday, Carroll’s longtime friend testified about receiving a call from the “Ask E. Jean” writer minutes after the alleged attack.

Trump has denied the allegations.

[ad_2]