(CNN) A Republican senator said Wednesday that magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll's allegation that President Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her in the 1990s should be investigated.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina told CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday that Carroll's account, which Trump has denied, should be examined like any claim that seemed legitimate.

"Yeah, I think any allegations made that seem to have merit we should take a look at," he said. "I have not seen the allegation so I can't comment on it specifically."

Scott added that he hadn't extensively studied Carroll's allegations -- that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store -- because of the "fact patterns."

"I've seen it. I haven't read into" it, he said. "I haven't read the stories because the fact patterns are really important in making a decision in whether or not there should be a legal or criminal investigation into allegations."

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