The White House on Monday opposed fresh calls for Congress to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by President Donald Trump and demands from some Democratic lawmakers that he resign, saying any questions about Mr. Trump’s behavior were answered by last year’s election.

During the 2016 campaign, more than a dozen women publicly alleged sexual misconduct by Mr. Trump. In October 2016, a 2005 videotape emerged of Mr. Trump making lewd comments about groping women. At the time, Mr. Trump said his comments in the video amounted to “locker-room talk” and said they didn’t reflect real actions.

At Monday’s briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was pressed repeatedly about the administration’s stance that Mr. Trump’s accusers are lying.

“The president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations,” she said. “And the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.”

The renewed focus on Mr. Trump comes as Washington has been shaken by claims of mistreatment of women, part of a broader phenomenon that has rippled through media, entertainment and other businesses. On Capitol Hill, sexual-misconduct allegations led to resignation announcements from three lawmakers last week, including Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.).

Ms. Sanders said Monday that Mr. Trump “thinks it’s a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn’t determine the course.”


Three women who accused Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct held a news conference Monday in New York City to press Congress to investigate the allegations against the president. Rachel Crooks—who said she was forcibly kissed by Mr. Trump while working at Trump Tower as a receptionist in 2005—criticized what she called the president’s record of “serial misconduct and perversion.”

“I ask that Congress put aside their party affiliations and investigate Mr. Trump’s history of sexual misconduct,” Ms. Crooks said.

In recent days, a growing number of Democratic senators have called for Mr. Trump to resign over the allegations. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) on Monday said in an interview that the women’s allegations were “credible,” “numerous” and “heartbreaking.” She said that “President Trump should resign.” She added that if Mr. Trump didn’t resign, Congress “should have appropriate investigations of his behavior and hold him accountable.”

On Sunday, Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) pointed to Mr. Franken. “I just watched Sen. Al Franken do the honorable thing and resign from his office. My question is, why isn’t Donald Trump doing the same thing—who has more serious allegations against him, with more women who have come forward.”

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At Monday’s news conference, Ms. Crooks was joined by Jessica Leeds, who said Mr. Trump groped her on an airplane in the 1970s, and Samantha Holvey, a former pageant queen who said Mr. Trump entered the women’s dressing room while contestants were changing. Mr. Trump has bragged about such behavior, telling radio host Howard Stern in 2005 that owning a beauty pageant allowed him to go backstage where “you see these incredible-looking women. So I sort of get away with things like that.”


The three women praised the “Me Too” movement, in which women have publicly discussed their experiences with sexual misconduct. “We’re at the position now where in some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior, but we are not holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is,” Ms. Leeds said at the news conference.

The push by the women comes as sexual misconduct allegations have forced the resignations of a number of prominent men in politics, Hollywood and elsewhere. Last week, in addition to Mr. Franken, Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) and Rep. Trent Franks (R., Ariz.) announced plans to resign amid sexual-misconduct or harassment allegations.

The GOP has a number of options when it comes to dealing with Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been mired in sexual misconduct allegations, but each one presents a dilemma for the party. WSJ's Shelby Holliday explains. Photo: Getty Images.

Sexual-misconduct claims have also threatened to derail Republican Roy Moore’s Alabama Senate run. He has denied allegations of sexual misconduct by women who say they were teenagers and Mr. Moore was in his 30s when he pursued them. The election is Tuesday.

Pressed about Mr. Trump’s decision to endorse Mr. Moore even as other Republican leaders have called for him to withdraw from the race, Ms. Sanders said Monday that Mr. Trump found the accusations “troubling” and said, “If they were true, then he should step aside.” She added: “Ultimately, the people of Alabama will make a decision in that race.”


The Senate and House ethics committees had opened investigations into the accusations of misconduct against Messrs. Franken and Conyers before they resigned, and Mr. Moore could face an ethics probe if he is elected.

Any investigation into the president’s behavior would likely be handled by the judiciary committees in each chamber, which are charged with issues related to federal criminal law. The Republican-controlled Congress has shown no interest in investigating the misconduct claims against Mr. Trump. A spokeswoman for the Senate Judiciary Committee didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Asked about the accusations against Mr. Trump, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on CBS on Sunday: “They should be heard, and they should be dealt with.” She added of the accusers: “I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”

In New York Supreme Court, Mr. Trump faces a lawsuit from a onetime contestant on “The Apprentice,” Summer Zervos, who has sued him for defamation. During the presidential campaign, Ms. Zervos publicly alleged Mr. Trump groped and kissed her in 2007, after she appeared on the TV show. Mr. Trump called her allegations “made-up nonsense.”


A judge is expected to rule in coming weeks on whether Ms. Zervos’s case can proceed, after a hearing last week.

Write to Rebecca Ballhaus at Rebecca.Ballhaus@wsj.com