Women Who Accuse Trump Should be Heard, Says Nikki Haley

Women who have accused United States President Donald Trump of sexual harassment should be heard, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said during a television show.

Haley was asked by CBS’ John Dickerson if she considered the allegations a “settled issue” to which she responded, “You know, that’s for the people to decide. I know that he was elected. But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them.”

Haley diverged from the White House stance on the matter. The White House said earlier that the women, which number at least 6, were lying about the sexual harassment. Haley’s comment also diverges from her Republican Party, which has been more than enthusiastic asking Democrat senators accused of sexual misconduct to resign while they protect Trump and Roy Moore, the former Alabama state judge who is the Republican nominee in the Dec. 12 United States Senate special election in Alabama against Democratic nominee Doug Jones.

Haley, who has Sikh ethnicity, said she was “incredibly proud of the women who have come forward.”

The former governor said: “I’m proud of their courage. And I think that the idea that this is happening, I think it will start to bring a conscience to the situation, not just in politics, but in, you know, we’ve seen in Hollywood and in every industry. And I think the time has come.”

She added: “They should be heard, and they should be dealt with.

“And I think we heard from them before the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”

The aftermath of the sexual assault investigations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has seen powerful men getting toppled from their positions after several women have come forward.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) resigned from their positions after accusations surfaced against them. However, Moore, who has Trump’s endorsement, is still contesting the election with no sign of a resignation. He is accused of molesting teenagers when he was in his 30s.

Besides the Access Hollywood audio in which Trump can be heard making lewd comments, the US president faces accusations of sexual misconduct from more women. However, White House’ press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “Look, I think that this was covered pretty extensively during the campaign. We addressed that then. The American people, I think, spoke very loud and clear when they elected this president.”

Sanders added that Franken and Trump’s case was different because she thinks “in one case, specifically, Senator Franken has admitted wrongdoing, and the President hasn’t. I think that’s a very clear distinction.”