Donald Trump said Thursday that he may sue NBC for an "Access Hollywood" video released earlier this month, 11 years after it was first recorded without the Republican presidential nominee's knowledge.
"The microphone was not supposed to be on, not that I make that as an excuse for myself," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. "That was a private dressing room. Yeah, that was certainly illegal, no question about it."
Asked if he planned to sue NBC, Trump told O'Reilly, "You'll see, you'll see after the election."
California's wiretapping law forbids anyone from recording a private conversation or call without all involved parties' knowledge and consent. Recording a person in a public or semi-public place may or may not fall under the law, depending on whether a person had "an objectively reasonable expectation that no one is listening in or overhearing the conversation."
Trump had a microphone on in 2005 while taping a segment for "Access Hollywood" before filming a cameo appearance for the soap opera "Days of Our Lives."
The video led to widespread backlash and calls for the GOP nominee to step down. He has denied that vulgar statements in the clip describe sexual assault and chalked up the conversation to "locker-room banter."
"You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful women – I just start kissing them, it's like a magnet," Trump says in the video. "(I) just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … grab them by the (expletive). You can do anything."
More than 10 women have since come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Trump. The GOP presidential nominee has denied the claims.
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