Georgia GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler is 'not familiar' with Trump's infamous Access Hollywood tape

In a debate earlier this month, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) was asked if she disagreed with anything President Trump has ever said or done, and she replied with an emphatic "no."

So on Wednesday, WXIA-TV asked Loeffler if she disagreed with Trump's "statements about personally sexually assaulting women." Loeffler replied, "I'm not familiar with that." And when another reporter tried to jog her memory — "He's referring to the Access Hollywood tape" — she shook her head again and said, 'Yeah, no, look, this president is fighting for America," adding that she will always stand by Trump.

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In the closing weeks of the 2016 presidential election, The Washington Post published a video from 2005 in which Trump bragged on Access Hollywood about his technique for kissing and grabbing women, including married women. "You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them," he told host Billy Bush on a hot mic. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything," including "grab them by the p---y." The tape made quite a splash in 2016, leading many GOP figures to temporarily disavow their presidential nominee.

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Loeffler, a millionaire appointed to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) last year, is trying to win her seat in what's essentially a three-way primary against Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump ally, and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democrat who currently leads in the polls. If no candidate hits 50 percent, as expected, the top two will face off in a January runoff election.

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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.