WASHINGTON--U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand fired back at President Donald Trump on Tuesday and said she would not be silenced after he attacked her on Twitter for calling for an investigation into accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct against him. Six U.S. senators, including Gillibrand, have said Trump should resign.
Trump lambasted Gillibrand on Twitter on Tuesday writing, "Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump." Schumer is the Senate Democratic leader.
Gillibrand, whose name has been floated as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, said she would not back down. "It was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue," she told reporters at a news conference.
Trump did not answer a reporter's question at a White House event later on Tuesday when asked what he meant by the tweet. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, told that some people thought Trump's tweet contained sexual innuendo, said, "Only if your mind is in the gutter would you have read it that way ... it's obviously talking about political partisan games that people often play and the broken system."
Sanders told a regular White House briefing that Trump had used similar language previously to refer to men of both major parties.
Other Democratic lawmakers rallied behind Gillibrand, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, another possible 2020 presidential candidate. In a tweet directed at Trump, Warren wrote on Tuesday, "Are you really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame @SenGillibrand? Do you know who you're picking a fight with? Good luck with that, @realDonaldTrump. Nevertheless, #shepersisted."
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump's attack on Gillibrand was "nasty, unbecoming of a president," but he did not join her call for Trump to resign the presidency over sexual misconduct accusations.
More than a dozen women have accused Trump, a New York-based real estate developer and former reality television star, of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics. Trump, a Republican, has denied the allegations. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against Trump.
