Former campaign staffer who accused Trump of ‘forcible kiss’ drops lawsuit

New developments are being reported in the legal case of the woman who claimed that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump “forcibly kissed” her against her will.

The accuser, Alva Johnson, is withdrawing her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, according to a report from the Daily Beast. 

Why now?

Johnson revealed why she dropped her lawsuit — or at least why she claims that she dropped her lawsuit — against Trump in an interview with the Daily Beast on Wednesday.

“I’m fighting against a person with unlimited resources, and repeatedly the judicial system has failed to find fault in his behavior,” said Johnson. “That’s a huge mountain to climb.”

Maybe. Or perhaps Johnson and her attorney just gave up because there was no real substance to her claim — but we’ll get to that.

The incident

Johnson says the encounter happened at a campaign rally in August of 2016. Johnson was connected to Trump in that at one time she was a member of his campaign team, acting as director of outreach coalitions.

Johnson’s initial complaint against Trump was dismissed by a federal judge who found it to be “a political lawsuit, not a tort and wages lawsuit.” But, she was able to refile it after she changed the language around.

There is no longer any reason to speculate as to what happened because video footage has emerged of the specific incident to which Johnson has been referring. In it, Trump can be seen giving Johnson a light kiss on the cheek before placing his hands on her shoulders for a brief time. The two can even be heard exchanging greetings.

“We’re going to get you in the White House,” said Johnson. “I’ll see you in February.

Trump’s response

From the outset, President Trump has denied the allegation. Then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders declared at one briefing that “this never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eyewitness accounts.”

Then, once the video surfaced, many, including Rudy Guliani, the president’s personal attorney, saw it as a vindication.

Thus, Johnson’s stated reason for ending the lawsuit is at least partially correct: she was indeed fighting an uphill battle — not against Trump’s resources and a biased judicial system, but against the facts.