Former US President Donald Trump is due to attend a meeting of a Republican candidate for governor of Nebraska on Sunday May 1, accused of sexual assault by eight women, including a local elected official.
Charles Herbster, a 67-year-old multimillionaire who made his fortune in farming, denies the accusations that have created controversy in this rural and conservative state.
Elected to the state Senate, Julie Slama told the Nebraska Examiner daily that the candidate lifted her skirt and engaged in fondling at a public event in 2019. Seven other women, who preferred to remain anonymous, also accused him.
The victim, who was 22 at the time, said in a statement: “I’m not looking for media attention or any benefit, I just wasn’t going to lie and say it didn’t happen. “.
Accusations denied altogether
Charles Herbster, whose fortune comes in part from the sale of bull semen, must speak near Omaha alongside the ex-president, who has also been accused in recent years of sexual assault or harassment by several women. Former presidential agriculture adviser Charles Herbster denied the charges, which he called a “smear campaign” and “politically motivated lies.”
According to the Politico site, Donald Trump was informed of the charges against the Nebraska candidate and nevertheless reiterated his support for him by pushing him to defend himself.
In his press release, the former President of the United States thanked Charles Herbster for his “professional work with us”, concluding: “see you Sunday!” Charles Herbster faces two other candidates in the Republican primary which will take place on May 10.
Support for alleged abusers
A key figure in the Republican Party, Donald Trump has supported several personalities with a reputation tainted by accusations of assault or harassment, including Rob Porter, a White House aide forced to resign in 2018 after being accused of violence by his former wives.
He also lent his support to ex-Fox News star Bill O’Reilly and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was charged in 2018 with attempted sexual assault as a high school student in the 1980s.
Before Mr. Kavanaugh, he had defended Roy Moore, Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls when he was in his thirties. Mr. Moore had lost the election in a state however acquired.