Nebraska GOP senator recalls her uncomfortable groping encounter with Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate

A Nebraska Republican senator is sharing details about the incident where Nebraska gubernatorial candidate allegedly groped her at a Republican dinner.

On Thursday, April 14, Sen. Julie Slama (R-Neb.) conducted an interview with the Omaha-based News Radio KFAB where she recalled her uncomfortable encounter with Nebraska Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Charles Herbster.

“As I was ... walking to my table, I felt a hand reach up my skirt, up my dress and the hand was Charles Herbster’s,” Slama said of the 2019 encounter during the radio interview. “I was in shock. I was mortified. It’s one of the most traumatizing things I’ve ever been through.”

She also shed light on what happened over the course of the next five minutes after her encounter with Herbster. According to Slama, the Trump-endorsed candidate went on to grope multiple women. “I watched as five minutes later he grabbed the buttocks of another young woman. ... This was witnessed by several people at the event.”

Slama admitted noted the intimidation that came with the “huge power differential” between her and Herbster, who is not only a 22-year senator but also the Conklin Company CEO and considered “one of the biggest donors in the Nebraska Republican Party.”

Slama is one of several women accusing Herbster of inappropriate behavior. Per HuffPost: "The Examiner corroborated six of the eight allegations with witnesses, the newspaper reported. All of the alleged incidents occurred between 2017 and this year, and involved teenagers to women in their 20s, according to the Examiner."

However, he is refuting the claims. Also on Thursday, Herbster took to Twitter with a brief statement pushing back against the allegations. "These libelous accusations are 100% false. For thirty years, I’ve employed hundreds of people," he tweeted. "I’ve respected and empowered women to run my company, my farm, and now my campaign. Not once has my integrity EVER been challenged in this manner.”

As previously reported on Alternet, all 13 female senators in the state's legislature denounced Herbster's scandal describing the allegations as “highly credible" and "corroborated.” “Sexual assault is despicable and damaging,” the statement added. “This is not a question of politics — it is an issue of character and basic human decency.” The ladies insist Herbster’s actions “make him unfit to serve.”