On Media Blog Archives Select Date… December, 2015 November, 2015 October, 2015 September, 2015 August, 2015 July, 2015 June, 2015 May, 2015 April, 2015 March, 2015 February, 2015 January, 2015

People magazine puts forth six accounts to corroborate reporter's assault claims

People magazine has put forth more accounts to corroborate the story of a former People reporter who said Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in 2005.

On Tuesday, five people went on the record with the magazine to say that Natasha Stoynoff, the reporter who says Trump forced himself on her in 2005, contemporaneously told them about the alleged assault. Two of those people are People editors — deputy East Coast news editor Mary Green, and East Coast editor Liz McNeil. Another person went on the record to corroborate Stoynoff's claim that she ran into Melania Trump, Donald Trump's third wife, months after the alleged assault.

One of Stoynoff's friends, Marina Grasic, said Stoynoff told her about the day after the interview with Trump. Another, Stoynoff's former journalism professor Paul McLaughlin, said Stoynoff called her crying and asking for advice — he said he told her to remain quiet in case Trump tried to retaliate, he said.

Additionally, Stoynoff's friend Liza Herz said that she recalled being with Stoynoff when they ran into Melania Trump in New York.

"They chatted in a friendly way," Herz told the magazine. "And what struck me most was that Melania was carrying a child and wearing heels."

The on-the-record corroborating accounts come after Trump and his wife, Melania, have vigorously denied the story. Stoynoff is now one of nearly a dozen women who have alleged that Trump sexually assaulted or harassed them. Trump has denied the allegations and has said they are all politically motivated. At a campaign event last week, Trump suggested people “look at” Stoynoff to decide whether they thought the account was true.

A day after People published Stoynoff’s story, Melania Trump’s attorney sent a notice to People asking for a redaction of a portion of the story in which Stoynoff said she saw Melania Trump briefly after the alleged incident. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday night, Melania Trump again denied that she ran into Stoynoff, and suggested that the entire story could not be trusted.

People magazine continues to stand by Stoynoff’s reporting. A full story including the corroborating accounts will run Wednesday in People's weekly print issue, editor Jess Cagle said Tuesday.

“In this week’s issue of People (which hits newsstands in New York on Wednesday), we feature a story that includes named sources who can corroborate Natasha Stoynoff’s account – including one woman (a friend of Natasha’s) who was actually with her when she bumped into Melania Trump on Fifth Ave., as outlined in her story,” Cagle wrote in a post on People’s website Tuesday.

This story has been updated throughout.