Trump Ex-campaign staffer is suing President Donald Trump and his campaign, alleging that the then-Republican presidential candidate kissed her without her consent during the 2016 race. She’s also suing over equal pay — claiming that she was paid less for her work based on race and gender.
Alva Johnson, a former Trump campaign staffer who lives in Alabama, alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that Trump grabbed her hand and forcibly kissed her without her consent inside an RV in Florida in August 2016.
While Trump was meeting with volunteers and signing autographs inside the RV, “Ms. Johnson noticed that Defendant Trump was watching her and appeared to be trying to make eye contact with her,” the lawsuit alleges.
After Trump was alerted by Secret Service that he was due for his next rally, she urged him “to go in there and ‘kick ass.’”
Trump then allegedly grasped her hand and praised her efforts.
“As Defendant Trump spoke, he tightened his grip on Ms. Johnson’s hand and leaned towards her. He moved close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin,” the lawsuit states. “Ms. Johnson suddenly realized that Defendant Trump was trying to kiss her on the mouth, and attempted to avoid this by turning her head to the right. Defendant Trump kissed her anyway, and the kiss landed on the corner of her mouth.”
The lawsuit alleges that several witnesses saw incident, including then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, then-State Director Karen Giorno, and Regional Directors Earl “Tony” Ledbetter, Mitch Tyner and Nick Corvino.
The lawsuit alleges that Bondi smiled when the incident occurred and Giorno “grabbed Ms. Johnson’s elbow and gave it an approving tug.”
After the incident, on her way to the campaign’s state headquarters in Sarasota, Florida, the suit claims that “Johnson called her partner, and then her parents, to tell them about what had happened, crying as she recalled the incident.”