Several women accusing President Donald Trump of prior sexual misconduct came together at a press conference Monday to call for a congressional investigation.
Samantha Holvey, Jessica Leeds, and Rachel Crooks all alleged at the Monday event that they had been sexually harassed or groped by Trump, CBS News reports. The event was held by the social justice nonprofit Brave New Films and highlighted a video featuring 16 different women accusing Trump of sexual misconduct and demanding a response.
"I am hoping that this will come forward and produce enough pressure on Congress to address it more than just for their own members but to address it with the president," Leeds said.
Sex scandals have roiled Congress in recent months as the #MeToo movement has led women to come forward with accusations against officials from both parties. Democratic Rep. John Conyers (Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (Minn.) decided to step down last week after misconduct allegations continued to come forward, and Republican Rep. Trent Franks (Ariz.) also resigned Friday following accusations from female staffers.
Crooks asked Congress to "put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump's history of sexual misconduct."
Brave New Films President Robert Greenwald demanded Trump be held accountable.
"We know better, we know a lot better, predators and harassers must be held accountable," said Greenwald.
The women stated the goal in continuing to voice their accusations is to pressure Congress to investigate Trump.
"I am hoping that this will come forward and produce enough pressure on Congress to address it more than just for their own members but to address it with the president," Leeds said.
The White House released a statement reiterating Trump’s denial of the charges.
"The false claims, totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts, were addressed at length during last year’s campaign, and the American people voiced their judgment by delivering a decisive victory," the statement read. "The timing and absurdity of these false claims speaks volumes and the publicity tour that has begun only further confirms the political motives behind them."
The women said it is only fair for Trump to face an investigation when members of Congress facing allegations have been subject to the same.
"A non-partisan investigation is important not just for him but for anybody that has allegations against them, this isn't a partisan issue, this is how women are treated every day," Holvey added.
Leeds stated her opposition to Trump rests on more than just his sexual conduct, but said it is important to discuss.
"Unfortunately I feel the sexual aggression issue is kind of low on the list of issues wrong with Trump but it's important enough to me to bring this up and hope we can get some sort of change in our culture that will improve the situation going forward," Leeds said.
The women had different perspectives on the Alabama Senate race, where Trump has endorsed and lent his voice to support Republican Roy Moore. The Republican candidate faces accusations of sexual misconduct with girls as young as 14 years old.
"It's confusing because you would think that the good people of Alabama could see through this, but we've gotten so polarized with politics, they want to keep a Republican seat even though it's a pedophile," Leeds said.
But Crooks said endorsing Moore "made perfect sense for him."
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley did not say whether she believes the accusations, but did say women's accusations ought to be heard and "dealt with."
"I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up," Haley said.
"I know that he [Trump] was elected," she added. "But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them."