Kellyanne Conway, a former adviser to Donald Trump, admitted over the weekend that she knew of allegations against Charles Herbster (R-NE) 10 months ago but stayed silent and worked for him anyway.
During an appearance on Steve Bannon's War Room: Pandemic program on Saturday, Conway suggested that a Republican Nebraska state senator and seven other women had been lying when they accused Herbster of groping them.
Herbster is running to replace Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) and has been endorsed by Trump. Conway accused the outgoing governor of orchestrating a political attack on Herbster.
"We've got women coming forward, we only know one's name," Conway said. "Her name is Julie Slama. She is a state senator who, curiously, Gov. Ricketts mentioned to me 10 months ago. [Ricketts] got in my face at an RNC event."
Conway said that she had "protected" Ricketts by not revealing Slama's accusations against Herbster, who is suing for defamation.
"I'm done trying to be Nebraska nice," she explained. "It was a very uncomfortable moment and I went up just to say, Governor, it seems like we're going to be on different sides of the race for your successor. And he got in my face: 'We're going to destroy Charles Herbster and everyone around him.' And I said whoa! I thought maybe it was ideological. It sounded personal."
"He mentioned this Julie Slama woman that he had appointed to the legislature as a state senator," Conway added. "And she's claiming, her allegation is she was sexually assaulted by Charles Herbster in full view of one of these big Republican dinners."
Conway went on to say that she had not experienced sexual misconduct in her time with Herbster.
"I know what the polls say, I know what Charles has said and I know what my interactions have been with him and how he is elevated and empowered women throughout his entire career, including his campaign," she insisted. "He's got a young, very sharp campaign manager. He's got women all around him as executives and workers in his six companies in different states."
"So, again, Sen. Slama and others have every right to come forward," the former Trump aide added. "But Charles and others also have a right to fight back."
Conway concluded by recalling what an anti-abortion activist had said to her about the groping allegations against Herbster.
"She said, 'You know, after Brett Kavanaugh, I take things like this with a grain of salt. I just want to see where it all goes. I want to read everything that is available to me,'" Conway remarked. "If it's politically motivated by someone somewhere, we should all know that as well."
