CNN reporter walks back speculation that flash flood of Trump assault allegations was coordinated

Whoever said an animated GIF is worth a thousand words was on to something, as there’s no better way to describe the flood of sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump breaking Wednesday night.

https://twitter.com/CuffyMeh/status/786352949328961536

The New York Times was likely hoping to have the spotlight Wednesday evening with its account of two women who claim Donald Trump touched them inappropriately, but additional claims published in other outlets are making the headlines too.

New @NYTIMES: Two Women Say Donald Trump Touched Them Inappropriately https://t.co/3WWILkzo1U

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 12, 2016

The Trump campaign has responded already to the New York Times article in the form of a statement from Jason Miller, who called the entire article “fiction.”

Trump response to NY Times story from Jason Miller pic.twitter.com/8VjkemsTpJ

— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) October 12, 2016

One of the co-writers of the piece says that Trump himself had already gotten in touch, calling her a “disgusting human being.”

"you're a disgusting human being," trump told me when i asked about claims that he touched women inappropriately:"https://t.co/naHweclUo0

— megan twohey (@mega2e) October 12, 2016

I'm not surprised these stories are surfacing but I am surprised trump is answering the phone personally to reporters right now pic.twitter.com/oqm3eJVCGM

— flglmn (@flglmn) October 12, 2016

But wait … there’s more.

Rolling Stone reports that Cassandra Searles responded to her own Facebook post on Trump’s treatment of pageant contestants, adding that “he continually grabbed my ass and invited me to his hotel room.” For its part, the Palm Beach Post is offering an exclusive account of an alleged incident 13 years ago when Trump groped Mindy McGillivray, who was 23 at the time.

EXCLUSIVE: Woman says Trump groped her in Palm Beachhttps://t.co/coBG54w1bb pic.twitter.com/KCSmfVXnEe

— The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) October 12, 2016

Trump already was in big trouble over his “locker room talk” that leaked last week, but CNN’s Dylan Byers stepped in it big-time with a since-deleted tweet noting the coincidental timing of the stories.

In last hour:

– NYT report on the 2 women
– CBS report on 10-yr-old girl
– Palm Beach Post report woman saying Trump groped her.

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 12, 2016

Apparently it most certainly does not not go without saying.

Uh oh. He tweeted that out loud, didn’t he?

…or ~60 million women watched the debate and a handful of them decided to speak out?

— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) October 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/786356868495110148

https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/786357238738759684

how would that work? the women would take direction on when to talk to what publications?

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) October 13, 2016

Do you know that from the reporters/ campaign? @DylanByers

— Gabrielle Levy ? (@gabbilevy) October 13, 2016

https://twitter.com/bterris/status/786357254597455872

Each news org could have pursued separately, moved up their publication times after NYT story broke today

— Katelyn Polantz (@kpolantz) October 13, 2016

That’s purely speculation, but this is CNN, where there’s no room for anything but the facts, which on occasion might be presented in context-shredding shorthand or read from a printout of a Talking Points Memo email blast.

Is it possible that more women felt compelled to come forward after seeing the second presidential debate? Absolutely.

Isn’t it a little suspicious, though, that the #TrumpTapes leaked last Friday, the debate aired Sunday, and yet so many stories broke on social media within an hour on Wednesday night? Or are there just so many allegations in the pipeline that by Friday, four stories in an hour won’t seem like a coincidence at all but just another day in October?

Let me correct: It *seems* to me 4 stories within hour feels strategic by campaign or PAC @nickconfessore @bterris @amychozick @reidepstein

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 13, 2016

How cynical can you be? How blinded by mediathink to see the appalling truth? @nickconfessore @bterris @amychozick @reidepstein

— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) October 13, 2016

* * *

Update:

Forget about things letting up Thursday.

According to @maddow, a 4th woman has come forward and will be interviewed on the Today Show about being sexually assaulted by #Trump.

— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) October 13, 2016

The actress in the Donald Trump video, Arianne Zucker, breaks her silence in a @TODAYshow exclusive Thursday pic.twitter.com/UVntFxrlu6

— Janet Shamlian (@JanetShamlian) October 12, 2016