Trump's 'Access Hollywood' tape prompted RNC to discuss replacing him as a candidate, his former assistant testifies

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Business Insider

May 9, 2024, 4:20 PM EDT


The "Access Hollywood" tape was so damaging to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign that the Republican National Committee began planning how to replace him as the GOP's presidential candidate, his ex-executive assistant testified on Thursday.

Madeleine Westerhout, who worked as an assistant to a top RNC official before she served as Trump's assistant in the White House, described the post-tape tumult to the jury in Trump's New York criminal hush-money trial. "There were conversations about — if it would be — how it would be possible to replace him as a candidate if it came to that," she testified.

The notorious 2005 tape, which circulated ahead of the 2016 presidential election, was highly damaging to the Trump campaign, prosecutors have told jurors. In it, Trump brags about grabbing women. "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…grab 'em by the p---y," he said on the tape.

Trump's team has tried, in its opening statement and in their cross-examination of DA witnesses, to brush off the $130,000 hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels as something he did to protect his family from learning of his alleged affair. But Westerhout's testimony bolsters the DA theory that paying off Daniels was an illegal campaign expense and that records were falsified as part of a conspiracy to influence the election.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-replace-ballot-access-hollywood-tape-testimony-hush-money-2024-5

[Irish_Dem]

1. Goes to motive.

He was very afraid of losing votes and even losing the nomination.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. And experienced Governor Howard Dean lost the nomination because he let out a whoop!

[Irish_Dem]

3. Exactly.

Different rules for the Dems.

Obama wore a tan suit and put spicy mustard on a hamburger.

Michelle wore a sleeveless dress.

Horrors.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. That's the thing, the Republicans are so desperate to elect an unqualified criminal that they're reduced to make up charges

About President Biden and his son. Is Dr. Jill Biden next??

[Irish_Dem]

5. Dr. Biden is squeaky clean.

And well liked and respected.

The GOP is playing with fire if they go after her.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. I would put nothing past them, while he was still in office he was impeached for trying to blackmail Ukraine

Holding up Congressional approved and desperately needed aid unless they found "dirt" on former VP Biden and his son.

[Irish_Dem]

7. The GOP just saw how going after a porn star backfired.

Highly unlikely they will go after Jill who is a model of virtue with no unseemly history.

But of course they have a lot of other rat fucking ideas up their sleeves.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. And I'm sure the Republicans are continuing to conspire, the "rule of law" means nothing to them

Taking a page from TFG's lack of concern for the law or the Constitution. I'm listening to Liz Cheney's book in my car and she gives details and names names relating to the January 6th insurrection and the second impeachment. Republicans were forced to go along with TFG's lies and plans or they were threatened and many went along out of fear for their families.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yes some of them were threatened, others were complicit.

So out of fear or guilt they had to bow to Trump.

Trump is a mob boss, the GOP is a crime syndicate.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Kevin McCarthy was one of the worst, he completely changed his opinion depending on who he was speaking with

[Traurigkeit]

19. The Republicans FEAR WOMEN They know better than to go after Dr. Jill Biden

She'd chew'em up and spit'em out.

[myohmy2]

11. most...

...republicans are "...grab'em by the pussy..." type people pretending not to be....

...a few semi- normal pukes realized you couldn't have it both ways...

...but king magat proved them wrong...

...how sad...

[FakeNoose]

17. I don't think "most" are like that

... but certainly the Party attracts an unhealthy bunch of people with questionable ethics and/or morals. Why are the others who aren't like that allowing it to happen? The Repukes will continue this downward spiral until a few good leaders grow a spine. Our country cannot continue this way.

[MissMillie]

12. Every single time...

...the GOP has the chance to do the sensible thing, they don't.

[tanyev]

13. And then they learned that they could just double down

and their base wouldn’t care, and the media would quickly move on to the next Trumpian disgrace.

[Novara]

14. If only they did replace him.

Imagine how many people wouldn't have died from COVID. Imagine Iran NOT building nuclear weapons. Imagine not having a theocratic, right-wing, morally corrupt SCOTUS. Imagine Roe v. Wade still being the law of the land. Imagine transpeople having rights. Imagine not having the presidency turn into a free-for-all grift factory.

That motherfucker unleashed so much hate in this country.

[LuvLoogie]

15. The GOPs were embarrassed, so they had to double down on lies about Hillary.

Their base was always down with the sickness. They never needed any evidence of pizza basement horror chambers. That we all heard about it was good enough to give them cover for their own corrupt motivation.

[IronLionZion]

16. His idiotic supporters defended the indefensible

and tried to normalize sexual assault, which may have encouraged more people to do it to be like their hero Trump.

[Aristus]

18. You should have done more than discuss, gents.

But no, you loathed the idea of a Hillary Clinton Presidency.

Why do you shit-stains always complain that a deal with the devil lands you in burning brimstone?...