Megyn Kelly gently mocks Donald Trump spokesman for canceling over Trump's female accusers
Megyn Kelly noted on Monday's Kelly File that Donald Trump had used his big speech at Gettysburg to threaten lawsuits against women accusing him of sexual assault, that another women came forward anyway with new accusations on Sunday, and that on Monday, Trump said sarcastically that the woman, Jessica Drake, is "a porn star," and "I'm sure she's never been grabbed before." Kelly played that audio clip, then said, "Oh boy."
"Well, the Trump campaign communications adviser Jason Miller, who we like, was set to appear on The Kelly File tonight," she said, "but he canceled not long after the campaign asked us if we would bring this issue up tonight, and we said, 'Maybe. We're going to talk about Trump's speech at Gettysburg, and Trump is the one who brought up suing the women." Kelly then implicitly called Miller a chicken: "Joining me now, Julie Roginsky, who's brave enough to walk onto the set, and even when it's bad news for her candidate, she does as well."
Kelly asked Roginsky, a Democratic strategist, about Trump's comments, and she said dryly, "Well, you know, the slut-shaming, I think, is kind of inappropriate." When Kelly noted that some critics are saying Drake can't really be offended by Trump's allegedly propositioning her for sex since she is paid to have sex on camera, Roginsky said she couldn't speak to Drake's feelings "but I think the forcible kissing is the issue for me."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Again, I want to stress, it's her word against his, he deserves the presumption of innocence," Roginsky added. "I look forward to the depositions in his lawsuit when they come out." "No, he's not going to sue anybody, please," Kelly laughed. "By the way, he didn't say — if he's going to sue them after the election, I assume that means only if he loses, otherwise we're going to have a really awkward first 100 days."
Hillary Clinton wants us all to believe she's "so squeaky clean," Kelly said, pivoting, "but she does some dirty stuff, too. So it is not impossible that there was some coordination, at some level, by the Clinton campaign with one or more of these women." "I think this is very much like Bill Cosby, where you have a torrent of women coming out, and one begets the next," Roginsky said, adding that some accusers "have said they're not voting for Hillary, they don't like Hillary, they're Republicans."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
10 concert tours to see this winterThe Week Recommends Keep cozy this winter with a series of concerts from big-name artists
-
What are portable mortgages and how do they work?the explainer Homeowners can transfer their old rates to a new property in the UK and Canada. The Trump administration is considering making it possible in the US.
-
What’s the best way to use your year-end bonus?the explainer Pay down debt, add it to an emergency fund or put it toward retirement
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
