Stacey Williams goes public with her allegations against Donald Trump – NBC New York

Thirty-one years after Stacey Williams The 56-year-old author, consultant and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, who said she was groped by Donald Trump while Jeffrey Epstein was watching, went public with this claim this week.

Williams, 56, told her story on a “Survivors for Kamala” Zoom call open to the public Monday night, which organizers said was attended by hundreds of people. This event featured a number of women discussing their experiences of sexual violence, including actor Ashley Judd and Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement.

Williams, a registered Democrat who attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention and has been involved in liberal causes in the past, said her decision to step forward on the Zoom call was: It’s partly about choice.

“I thought it was time to share this and I’m ready to win this election,” Williams said on the Zoom call. “The thought of that monster returning to the White House is my worst nightmare.”

In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Williams said the decision to come forward was not made in conjunction with the Democratic Party. When asked if he had any contact with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, he said, “No way.”

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt flatly denied Williams’ claim in a statement. “These accusations, made by a former Barack Obama activist and announced on a Harris Campaign call two weeks before the election, are absolutely false,” the statement said in part.

NBC News spoke with seven people who said they discussed the allegations with Williams between 2006 and 2022. All said they found Williams and his argument credible and consistent. His claim was: First published in The Guardian And CNN’s first broadcast.

Williams appears to be the first person to publicly allege Trump’s sexual misconduct in which Epstein played a role. Of the dozens of women in Epstein’s orbit interviewed by NBC News over the past seven years, none have accused Trump of abuses involving Epstein.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution and served time in prison in Florida. He died by suicide in a federal prison in Manhattan in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges of minors.

“I feel very comfortable and ready to talk about it,” Williams told NBC News. “And then I can handle the repercussions.”

Visit to Trump Tower

Williams said she and Epstein first met at a dinner party in 1992 and began spending time together while they were both in town. She said she was not Epstein’s boyfriend and that the relationship was never sexual.

Him and Epstein that year, he attended a Christmas party at the Trump-owned Plaza Hotel. He recalled seeing Trump at the party and said it was clear the two men were friends.

Williams later recalled that while he was walking with Epstein near Fifth Avenue in the “late winter, early spring” of 1993, Epstein suggested visiting Trump at Trump Tower. It was a sunny day and he wasn’t wearing a coat, he recalled to NBC News.

“We went to Trump Tower and went up to the elevator and a few minutes later Trump was greeting us,” he said on a Zoom call.

Within minutes of meeting him, Trump “pulled me close and started groping me. “He put his hands all over my breasts and my waist, my ass, and I froze,” Williams said on the Zoom call, her voice appearing to crack as she described being touched. “And I froze because I was so confused about what was happening because the hands were moving all over me.”

Former President Donald Trump is facing federal election interference charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Here’s what you need to know.

Williams said the two men were talking to each other calmly as Trump groped him.

“These two men seemed to be smiling at each other and continuing their conversation,” he said.

Williams told NBC News that the two men referred to him “as an object.” She said they focused on her appearance and her appearance in Sports Illustrated in a conversation she said was “disgusting.” He said the entire incident lasted five to 10 minutes and took place in the reception area outside Trump’s office.

Williams said that when he and Epstein went out on the street after the encounter, Epstein became enraged and began “berating” him with questions. “Why did you let him do this?” he asked, according to Williams. Williams said he was confused by Epstein’s accusation against him.

“It felt so gross, and I remember being completely confused at that moment,” Williams recalled. “I felt so humiliated, sick to my stomach and so upset.”

She added: “I was someone who really prided herself on being one of the tough models, which was a bit problematic because I was fighting against the predators of the industry.”

“And then the next, probably the next feeling I remember was just embarrassment and embarrassment,” he said. “I let something happen that I could have stopped.”

He said Williams and Epstein never discussed the incident again. Williams was deeply offended and soon cut off contact with Epstein. She said she had no knowledge that Epstein was abusing young women and breaking the law until media reports about him emerged.

Williams recalled that days after the incident, a postcard with her name arrived at her modeling agency. It had Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on the front and a message in what appeared to be Trump’s handwriting on the back. Williams said he still has the postcard and shared photos of it with NBC News.

On the back, in handwriting similar to Trump’s, it read: “Stacey, your home away from home, Love Donald.” There is no postmark or date on the postcard.

“I was so ashamed and blamed myself for it. That made me want to talk about it,” Williams said.

He added that he never considered reporting the allegations to the police. He said he never met Trump again.

NBC News spoke with seven people who said Williams had previously told them about the alleged encounter with Trump, most of whom asked to remain anonymous. The six were long-time friends and acquaintances. The first one was said in 2006, the other was said before Trump became a presidential candidate, and the last one was said in 2022.

Her friend, Ally Gutwillinger, said Williams told her she was harassed by Trump while Epstein was around after Trump announced his 2015 presidential campaign.

“I remember it very clearly. I was at his house,” Gutwillinger told NBC News. “I saw the postcard of Mar-a-Lago sitting there. And he told me to turn it. And it said: ‘Stacey, your home away from home. ‘I love Donald.’”

Williams’ claim that Epstein introduced her to Trump echoes other women’s descriptions of Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, introducing women to people who had sexually abused them in some way.

Deciding to speak openly

Two years ago, Williams was interviewed for a feature about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: “Beyond the Look.” At one point, she said on camera that she was groped by a former president in front of Epstein, but did not name Trump. He learned a few weeks ago that the film would be shown at the Woodstock Film Festival earlier this month.

Williams told NBC News that he thought it was important for the film to provide more context about what’s going on, given that its premiere will be a few weeks after the election.

Former President Donald Trump turned a campaign event in Pennsylvania into a concert Monday night after it was interrupted twice by medical emergencies in the audience.

“If this is going to be out there, I need to tell my story, and I feel ready,” he said.

Through a friend, she connected with the “Survivors for Kamala” appeal, a coalition of groups and individuals who support Harris.

Trump has faced sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women in recent years, including former columnist E. Jean Carroll. Last year, a jury in New York found: Trump is responsible for sexual abuse Carroll was at a Manhattan store in the 1990s but wasn’t in charge of it rape allegation. He continued to deny all of the sexual harassment allegations.

The latest claim against Trump comes with less than two weeks until Election Day and early voting have already started in more than one state.

In a 2005 video known as: “Access to Hollywood” tape After it was made public in 2016 and released just weeks before that year’s election, Trump can be heard saying: “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women; I start kissing them, it’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even expect it. And when you become a star they let you do it. You can do anything,” he said, including “catch them by the p—-.”

Williams said over time he slowly became more comfortable telling his story.

“He hurt me,” Williams told NBC News. “Sexual assault is harmful. It hurts people.”

This article was first published on: NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here: