Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions said his comments regarding a 2005 video in which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump discusses aggressively groping a woman have been mischaracterized.

On Monday, the Weekly Standard published a story in which it quoted Sessions regarding the controversial video that has led to a growing number of calls for Trump to step down as the GOP nominee. Sessions' comments were made in a post-debate interview room just after Trump squared off against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

From the Weekly Standard:

SESSIONS: This was very improper language, and (Trump has) acknowledged that.



TWS: But beyond the language, would you characterize the behavior described in that (video) as sexual assault if that behavior actually took place?



SESSIONS: I don't characterize that as sexual assault. I think that's a stretch. I don't know what he meant--



TWS: So if you grab a woman by the genitals, that's not sexual assault?



SESSIONS: I don't know. It's not clear that he--how that would occur.

On Monday night, Sessions said the characterization of his comments were "completely inaccurate."

"My hesitation was based solely on confusion of the contents of the 2005 tape and the hypothetical posed by the reporter, which was asked in a chaotic post-debate environment," Sessions said in a written statement provided to AL.com. "I regret that it resulted in an inaccurate article that misrepresented my views.

"Of course it is crystal clear that assault is unacceptable. I would never intentionally suggest otherwise," Sessions added.

The controversial tape referenced by Sessions includes Trump talking with Billy Bush, ex-host of "Access Hollywood" and a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush, about kissing and groping women.

"And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump says before adding other graphic statements.

The tape prompted a wave of defections from the Trump camp with prominent GOP members saying they will not support their party's own candidate. Trump later apologized for the comments, which he described at Sunday night's debate as "locker room" banter.

Sessions, a former federal prosecutor and Alabama Attorney General, has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters. He was among those helping Trump prepare for Sunday night's debate against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In a pre-debate interview on Fox News Sunday morning, Sessions denied earlier reports he advised the business-mogul-turned-politician to exit the race in the wake of the tape, adding Republican leadership needed to "take a deep breath."

"This thing is overblown. Everybody knows that Trump likes women," Sessions said. "This is not a disqualifying event."