Bernie Sanders says Donald Trump should resign over sexual harassment allegations

Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Donald Trump to resign, joining a chorus of Democratic lawmakers who say the President should step down over allegations of sexual misconduct that surfaced during his campaign.

"Yes, I do think he should resign," Mr Sanders told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "You've got a president who has been accused by many, many women of harassment, to say the least."

He added: "This is a guy who was on a tape seen by everybody in America essentially bragging about his sexual assault of women."

Mr Trump has been accused of sexual harassment by 18 women, for incidents that allegedly occurred from the late 1980s up until 2013. The allegations range from unwanted touching to sexual assault. Mr Trump has denied the claims, at times saying he did not even know his accusers.

Last year, a leaked tape from NBC's Access Hollywood revealed the former businessman bragging about grabbing women "by the p****" before a 2005 appearance.

Mr Sanders contrasted this behaviour with that of Senator Al Franken, who recently announced he would be resigning over allegations that he had kissed women and touched their buttocks without their consent.

"Do I think under those considerations of Al Franken resigning, do I think the President should resign? I do," Mr Sanders said. "Do I think he will? I don't."

Mr Sanders has previously said the President should "think about resigning".

A growing number of Democratic legislators have called for Mr Trump's resignation, as the national conversation on sexual harassment reaches Washington. Three members of Congress have already announced they will resign over allegations of sexual harassment. A fourth has said he won't seek re-election.

Senator Kristen Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress on sexual harassment and assault, said she had heard from several of Mr Trump's accusers personally and found their allegations credible.

"President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign," she told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

Responding to questions about the allegations in a recent press conference, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump feels it is "a good thing that women are coming forward," but emphasised that he denies the allegations.

"[T]he American people knew this and voted for the President and we feel like we're ready to move forward in this process," she said.