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Trump tweets denial that he forced himself on a woman for 2 minutes 12 years ago

”Never happened. Who would do this in a public space with live security......” Trump tweeted.

Update 2/20 3:35 p.m. ET: Rachel Crooks responded to President Donald Trump’s denial with a tweet of her own:

“Please, by all means, share the footage from the hallway outside the 24th floor residential elevator bank on the morning of January 11, 2006. Let’s clear this up for everyone. It’s liars like you in politics that have prompted me to run for office myself."

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday morning with a caustic rebuttal to the sexual assault allegations against him on the front page of the “Fake News Washington Post.”

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“A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago,” Trump tweeted. ”Never happened. Who would do this in a public space with live security……”

Rachel Crooks, now 35, was one of the 19 women who came forward with sexual assault allegations against then-candidate Trump in the wake of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which he’s heard bragging about grabbing women "by the pussy.” Crooks rehashed her allegations against Trump in the Post story and talked about why she’ll continue to tell her story, despite the online harassment and consistent denials from the president.

The Post’s report leads with a dinner party scene where the hostess asks Crooks — who's running for a a seat in Ohio's state legislature — to tell of her interaction with Trump 12 years ago, when she was 22. Crooks recalls noticing Trump standing by the elevator and decided to introduce herself, according to the Post. She said he then grabbed her hand and held her in place.

“He started kissing me on one cheek, then the other cheek,” Crooks told the Post. “He was talking to me in between kisses, asking where I was from, or if I wanted to be a model. He then wouldn’t let go of my hand, and then he went right in and started kissing me on the lips.”

Crooks said the kiss lasted two minutes, maybe less. Also, contrary to what Trump tweeted, she said the alleged incident took place outside her office in Trump Tower — not in the lobby.

Ten minutes after his first tweet, Trump followed up with more: “Another False Accusation. Why doesn’t @washingtonpost report the story of the women taking money to make up stories about me,” he wrote. “One had her home mortgage paid off. Only @FoxNews so reported… doesn’t fit the Mainstream Media narrative.”

That isn’t true. The Hill broke the story Dec. 15 with the headline “Exclusive: Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers.” That report was widely aggregated by mainstream media outlets.

Cover image: President Donald Trump speaks about domestic violence during a working session regarding the opportunity zones provided by tax reform in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)