10th woman comes forward, accuses Trump of groping her

NEW YORK — A 10th woman came forward Thursday with allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump, nearly 20 years after she said the Republican presidential nominee groped her as she waited for a car in New York.

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Karena Virginia, a yoga instructor in New York, told reporters gathered at the London Hotel that she was 27 years old when she met Trump in 1998 at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing, Queens.

She said she recognized Trump standing with a few other men as she waited for a car. She said she was surprised when she overheard Trump talking about her.

"'Hey, look at this one. We haven't seen her before. Look at those legs,'" she quoted Trump as saying.

She said he walked up to her, grabbed her arm and groped her chest.

"I was in shock," she said. "I flinched. 'Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who I am?' That's what he said to me."

Virginia said the incident left her feeling powerless and led to years spent questioning herself. She was wearing a short dress and heels on the day of the encounter in 1998 "For a number of years afterward, I struggled with what to wear so as not to attract unwanted attention," she said.

Virginia said she came forward after other allegations by women who claim that Trump groped or kissed them forcibly to show support for other accusers and to add her voice to the conversation.

"I am here to stand up to Mr. Trump for myself, my family – particularly my daughter," she said. "And for all the women who deserve to be respected and not subjected to sexual abuse or groped by powerful men who believe that women can be groped, grabbed or kissed at their pleasure."

Virginia is the latest woman to come forward with allegations that the GOP presidential nominee kissed or groped them without consent. Four other women have levied other sexual misconduct allegations against him, including accusations that he walked in on teen beauty contestants.

He has denied the allegations.

"Nobody has more respect for women than I do," Trump said Wednesday at the third and final presidential debate before voters head to the polls. The statement has become a frequent refrain by Trump since a 2005 "Access Hollywood" video of him talking about using his celebrity status to touch women without consent surfaced.

"Given the allegations against you, you should never again utter the words that you respect women," said civil rights attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing Virginia and Trump accuser Summer Zervos.

Last week, Zervos, who competed in Season 5 of "The Apprentice," told reporters gathered in Los Angeles that Trump kissed her inappropriately and groped her during a meeting that she set up to discuss job prospects.

"Instead of a job, Ms. Zervos claims she got the Donald all over her, kissing her, touching her breasts, leading her into his bedroom," Allred said.

In an emotional statement, Zervos said she decided to make her accusations public after Trump claimed to have never sexually assaulted a woman during the second presidential debate.

"You do not have the right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star," she said.

Trump has vehemently denied the allegations. At a rally last week, he promised to provide evidence proving his innocence "at an appropriate time." He has questioned the timing of the reports, which come with less than a month left in the race for the White House.

"These attacks are orchestrated by the Clintons and their media allies," Trump said. "The only thing Hillary Clinton has going for herself is the press. Without the press she is absolutely zero."

Cox Media Group