The Latest: Utah's Lee calls on Trump to quit after apology
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):
1:05 a.m.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee is the latest Republican member of Congress to call on Donald Trump to drop out of the race for president.
Lee is responding to Trump's apology for making crude comments about women and his defiant aassertion that those remarks from 2005 are a "distraction from the important issues we're facing today."
Lee says in a video posted on his Facebook page early Saturday morning: "You, sir, are the distraction. Your conduct, sir, is the distraction."
Lee adds the goal of the GOP is to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. For that reason, he says, Trump should step aside.
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12:20 a.m.
Donald Trump remains defiant even as he is apologizing for making crude comments about women.
The Republican presidential nominee says former President Bill Clinton "has actually abused women" and says his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims."
Trump says, "Let's be honest, we're living in the real world."
He says a recording of him from 2005 that was published Friday afternoon, in which he brags about trying to kiss and grope women, is a "distraction from the important issues we're facing today."
Trump says while he's made some "foolish" comments, he says the Clintons have done worse.
The New York billionaire says, "We will discuss this more in the coming days."
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12:10 a.m.
Donald Trump is apologizing for vulgar and profane comments he made about women more than a decade ago, saying they "don't reflect" the man he is today.
He says, "I was wrong and I apologize."
Trump's campaign released the one-and-a-half-minute video on the GOP nominee's social media accounts early Saturday morning.
The video apology came hours after The Washington Post and NBC News posted a video from 2005 in which the Republican nominee brags about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women who were not his wife.
Trump says, "I've said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them."
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11:55 p.m.
A Republican congressman in Colorado is calling for Donald Trump to "step aside."
Rep. Mike Coffman says his party's presidential nominee should leave the race "for the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton."
Coffman faces a challenging re-election test in November. He released his statement soon after a 2005 recording of Trump making vulgar remarks about women became public.
Coffman says, "Mr. Trump should put the country first and do the right thing."
Coffman had previously refused to endorse Trump.
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11:25 p.m.
Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz has withdrawn his endorsement of Donald Trump.
The Republican, who is chairman of the House oversight committee, tells a Utah television station he "can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president."
Chaffetz calls Trump's comments from a videotape released Friday "some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine."
Chaffetz tells Fox 13 of Salt Lake City he isn't sure who he'll vote for.
The congressman is among the first elected Republican officials - and the second from Utah - to turn their backs on Trump. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced earlier Friday that he would not vote for Trump.
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10:20 p.m.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is withdrawing his support for Donald Trump.
The Republican governor tweeted Friday night that that Trump's statements "are beyond offense and despicable."
Herbert says, "While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump."
Herbert was an early Trump critic, but announced he would vote for him in August. He is among the first Republican officials in office to formally withdraw support for the Republican presidential nominee following the release of a tape that captured Trump making lewd comments about women.
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9:50 p.m.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine says Republican officials who support Donald Trump ought to be asked if they still do.
Kaine is telling Democratic volunteers in Phoenix that the numerous controversies that sprang up Friday should require GOP leaders to say whether they still believe Trump is qualified to be president.
Trump's campaign was reeling after shockingly crude comments he made about women in 2005 became public. His comments have drawn swift rebukes from key Republicans, but none has pulled support from Trump.
Kaine is also slamming Trump's unsubstantiated suggestion that immigrants are being allowed illegally into the country to vote, and Trump's argument that the "Central Park Five" were guilty of rape despite being exonerated by DNA.
Kaine says those claims also require Republicans to explain any continued support of their party's nominee.
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9:40 p.m.
Donald Trump says running mate Mike Pence will campaign in Wisconsin in his place Saturday, following the release of a damaging video from 2005 that shows the Republican presidential nominee making crude and sexist remarks.
Trump says in a statement that he will be spending Saturday in New York preparing for Sunday's second presidential debate.
He says he'll be joined by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced earlier Friday night that Trump would no longer be attending the annual Wisconsin fall festival in the wake of the release of crass footage that depicts Trump bragging about his sexual exploits.
The appearance would have been the pair's first together.
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9:15 p.m.
House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is "sickened" by Donald Trump's crude comments about women, revealed in an audio from 2005, and is calling on the Republican presidential nominee to show greater respect for women.
In a statement late Friday, Ryan says Trump will no longer be attending an annual fall festival in Wisconsin. The all-GOP event in Ryan's home state had been planned with Trump, Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and the head of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus.
Ryan, who has had a rocky relationship with Trump, says women are to be championed and revered. He adds that he hopes Trump will treat the fallout with the seriousness it deserves.
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8:30 p.m.
"Access Hollywood" says a story from The Associated Press about Donald Trump's behavior as star of "The Apprentice" led to its decision to dig through its archives and turn up damning footage of the GOP nominee.
The AP reported earlier this week that during his years on the "The Apprentice," the GOP nominee repeatedly demeaned women with sexist language.
Natalie Morales of "Access Hollywood" says the AP's story led it to find previously unaired footage from 2005, in which Trump brags about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women who were not his wife.
The footage was recorded during a bus ride while Trump was on his way to tape an episode of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives."
It was first posted Friday by The Washington Post and NBC News.
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8:05 p.m.
Hillary Clinton's campaign says it will not confirm the authenticity of emails from campaign co-chairman John Podesta that WikiLeaks released Friday.
The campaign is blaming the intrusion on Russian state actors seeking to help rival Donald Trump. Spokesman Glen Caplin says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange "has made no secret of his desire to damage Hillary Clinton."
Podesta says he doesn't "have time" to sort out which emails are real but is "not happy" about being hacked.
A different group of hackers also published emails purported to be from Clinton aide Capricia Marshall on Friday.
The U.S. government officially accused Russia of trying to interfere with the election through hacking earlier Friday
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7:40 p.m.
Billy Bush says he's "embarrassed and ashamed" by a 2005 conversation he had with Donald Trump in which Trump made lewd comments about women.
Bush, then a host of the entertainment news show "Access Hollywood," was chatting with Trump as the businessman waited to make a cameo appearance on a soap opera.
On audio and video recordings obtained by The Washington Post and NBC News, Trump brags about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women who were not his wife. The remarks were captured by a live microphone that Trump did not appear to know was recording their conversation.
In a statement Friday, Bush says he was younger and less mature when the incident occurred, adding that he "acted foolishly in playing along." He says he is sorry.
Bush recently joined NBC News' "Today." His statement was released by the network.
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7:30 p.m.
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus is condemning crude comments made by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying in a statement that "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever."
Priebus has been a champion of the billionaire businessman's campaign since he won the party's nomination.
But he was among the first Republicans to criticize the latest revelations of Trump's comments about women.
In a 2005 recording published Friday by The Washington Post and NBC News, Trump bragged about trying to have sex with a married woman and made a series of profane, sexually charged comments.
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7:25 p.m.
Excerpts from closed-door speeches that Hillary Clinton gave to Wall Street executives two years ago have been leaked.
The excerpts include Clinton suggesting that Wall Street insiders are best equipped to help reform the financial sector. She also conceded that presidential candidates for either party must have tens of millions in contributions from New York to mount a competitive national campaign.
The WikiLeaks organization posted Friday what it said were thousands of emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. It was unclear whether Podesta's personal email accounts had been hacked or whether the emails had been included in successful hacking attacks, blamed on Russia, against prominent Democratic organizations.
Clinton's primary opponent Bernie Sanders had called on the now Democratic presidential nominee to release transcripts of her paid speeches. Clinton refused
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7 p.m.
Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte says Donald Trump's lewd comments about women are "totally inappropriate and offensive."
Ayotte, who is locked in a close re-election race against New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, has walked a fine line in responding to the Republican presidential nominee. Ayotte has repeatedly said she will support him but not endorse him.
She stumbled earlier this week when she told a debate audience that Trump "absolutely" was a role model for children. She quickly issued a statement saying she misspoke and neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton is a role model.
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6:30 p.m.
Hillary Clinton's campaign is calling on rival Donald Trump to condemn Russia for the hacking of political sites in the United States and disclose all his ties to the country.
The U.S. on Friday formally accused Moscow of trying to interfere with the upcoming election by hacking the Democratic National Committee and other email accounts.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and invitation for further intrusions shows the Republican candidate "welcomes the help."
Podesta said in a statement released by the campaign: "The only remaining question is why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians."
Russia has dismissed the accusation.
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6:20 p.m.
Hillary Clinton's campaign is accusing Donald Trump of peddling "yet another racist lie," after he claimed the "Central Park Five" were guilty of rape despite being exonerated by DNA evidence.
Clinton senior policy adviser Maya Harris said in a statement Friday that Trump's comments are a "clear reason why he is unfit to be president."
The five black teenagers were convicted in the 1989 beating and rape of a jogger in New York's Central Park. They were later exonerated after another man confessed to the crime and had DNA matching the evidence in the case. They were paid a $41 million settlement.
Trump told CNN this week that he still thought they were guilty and the settlement was "outrageous."
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5:40 p.m.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine says Russia's attempts to disrupt U.S. politics and Republican Donald Trump's comments on immigrants and women highlight the unprecedented stakes in this year's presidential contest.
Kaine said a statement Friday from U.S. intelligence officials blaming Russia for the hacking of political sites should motivate people to support Hillary Clinton. So should, he said, Trump's unsubstantiated comments that immigrants are being allowed illegally into the country to vote.
Kaine was speaking to reporters at a campaign event at a casino in Las Vegas.
He also responded to audio of Trump making lewd remarks about women in 2005. Kaine said Trump's comments "makes me sick to my stomach."
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5:10 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is responding to a video of rival Donald Trump making lewd comments about women in 2005.
The Democratic presidential candidate said on Twitter, "This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president."
Trump issued an apology after the video emerged of him making sexually charged comments. He called it "locker room banter."
Clinton has said that Trump has shown a lack of respect for women, noting during the first presidential debate that he insulted a former Miss Universe. She has said it's a reason why he's unfit to be president.
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4:55 p.m.
Donald Trump is issuing a rare apology after a video showed him making lewd, sexually charged comments about women in 2005. He called it "locker room banter."
The Republican nominee said that "I apologize if anyone was offended." He issued the statement after The Washington Post revealed the video of Trump caught on a hot mic while talking with Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood."
Trump is heard saying he "did try and f--- her," referring to an unknown woman. He also used graphic terms to describe the woman's body and said he frequently tried to kiss beautiful women.
He boasted that "when you're a star they let you do it."
He said: "You can do anything."
Trump has a long history of making crude comments about women.
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