A former “Apprentice” producer alleged Saturday night that there are “far worse” videos of Donald Trump from his time on that show than the one released Friday that has caused many high-profile Republicans to exit the Trump train.
Bill Pruitt, who describes himself on his Twitter account as a “cultural infidel,” tweeted out that claim after a day of harsh reactions to a 2005 video showing the Republican nominee discussing women in a lewd way that some have said describes sexual assault.
As a producer on seasons 1 & 2 of #theapprentice I assure you: when it comes to the #trumptapes there are far worse. #justthebegininng
— Bill Pruitt (@billpruitt) October 8, 2016
The video in question, released by the Washington Post, depicts a conversation between Trump and then-“Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush discussing Trump being turned down by “Entertainment Tonight” host Nancy O’Dell, and then segues into Trump discussing groping women in graphic detail.
Pruitt’s allegation comes a few days after an Associated Press report claiming that, according to “The Apprentice” cast and crew members, Trump would routinely be “lewd and sexist” while working on that show.
“Eight former crew members recalled that he repeatedly made lewd comments about a camerawoman he said had a nice rear, comparing her beauty to that of his daughter, Ivanka,” the report states as just one of many examples of Trump being crass toward women on set.
The Trump camp adamantly denied the AP report, calling the recollections “outlandish, unsubstantiated and totally false claims fabricated by publicity-hungry, opportunistic, disgruntled former employees, [which] have no merit whatsoever. ‘The Apprentice’ was one of the most successful prime-time television shows of all time and employed hundreds of people over many years, many of whom support Mr. Trump’s candidacy.”
“The Apprentice” footage might be harder to come by than expected given the events of the last two days. The show aired on NBC, which told Politico Saturday it does not have access to the much sought-after footage.
“We don’t own the footage. We’re pursuing it along with every other news organization reporting on this story,” an NBC spokeswoman said.
The owner of the footage appears to be “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett, and AP reported that media outlets have been after whatever he has to offer for months.
Trump and Bush both apologized for their comments in the video, though that didn’t stop many prominent Republicans from repealing their endorsements of his presidential bid and the RNC from reportedly turning its back on its party’s nominee.
