Former "Access Hollywood" anchor Billy Bush confirmed again that it was Donald Trump's voice on the famous 2005 video that recorded Trump bragging about crude and degrading behavior toward women.
The New York Times reported last week that Trump has told at least one U.S. senator and other people that he didn't believe the voice on the tape was his — even though he directly confirmed the remarks and apologized for them a month before the presidential election last year.
In an op-ed article Sunday night on the Times' website, Bush — to whom Trump made the remarks — wrote: "He said it. 'Grab 'em by the pussy.' Of course he said it."
Bush added: "Along with Donald Trump and me, there were seven other guys present on the bus at the time, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this was real.
"We now know better," wrote Bush, who left NBC's "Today" in October 2016 after he was suspended as the network investigated Bush's laughing and joking with Trump on the tape.
"Access Hollywood" is owned and distributed by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News and MSNBC.
Referring to Trump's reported denials after the election, Bush wrote: "President Trump is currently indulging in some revisionist history."
"This has hit a raw nerve in me," Bush wrote. "I can only imagine how it has reopened the wounds of the women who came forward with their stories about him, and did not receive enough attention. This country is currently trying to reconcile itself to years of power abuse and sexual misconduct. Its leader is wantonly poking the bear."
At the time of the tape, Trump's show, "The Apprentice," was one of NBC's biggest headliners. Bush said in his op-ed that he, and others on the bus, laughed along with Trump out of "self-interest," explaining that the success of his work was dependent upon establishing strong rapports with celebrities — particularly ones such as Trump.
"None of us were guilty of knowingly enabling our future president. But all of us were guilty of sacrificing a bit of ourselves in the name of success," Bush wrote.
Corey Lewandowski, who was Trump's campaign chairman for part of the campaign, and David Bossie, an adviser to the campaign, again confirmed Sunday that the voice on the tape was Trump's in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"I think it's clear that it is" Trump's voice, Bossie said. "And I don't think he [disputes that]."
