The creator and executive producer of The Apprentice, Mark Burnett, has said he has never been a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's candidacy and has hit out at what he called the "hatred, division and misogyny" of his campaign.
Burnett, who is married to Derry-born actress Roma Downey, issued a statement as calls for the release of behind-the-scenes Apprentice footage continued. Reports have claimed that material exists of Trump making racist and sexist remarks in unseen footage from his time as the star of the reality show.
"Given all of the false media reports, I feel compelled to clarify a few points," said Burnett, who is also President of MGM Television and Digital Group.
"I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy. I am NOT 'Pro-Trump'. Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has [sic] been a very unfortunate part of his campaign."
Trump is reeling from the release of a 2005 Access Hollywood video that caught him making lewd comments about women, and the fallout has plunged his White House bid into crisis ahead of polling day on November 8.
As the outrage over Trump's remarks continued, Burnett and MGM said earlier this week that they would not be releasing any unseen footage from The Apprentice.
According to their joint statement: "MGM owns Mark Burnett's production company and The Apprentice is one of its properties.
"Despite reports to the contrary, Mark Burnett does not have the ability nor the right to release footage or other material from The Apprentice.
"Various contractual and legal requirements also restrict MGM's ability to release such material."
The statement said claims that Burnett had threatened legal action against anyone who released footage were "completely and unequivocally false".
"To be clear, as previously reported in the press, which Mark Burnett has confirmed, he has consistently supported Democratic campaigns," the statement concluded.
The 2005 Access Hollywood video featuring Trump was obtained and published by newspaper The Washington Post, not Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. In it, Trump was speaking with Billy Bush, then host of Access Hollywood, as he arrived on the set of a soap opera to tape a cameo appearance.
Bush, who's a cousin of former President George W Bush and one-time Republican candidate Jeb Bush, has been suspended as co-host of NBC's morning show Today following the video's release. The presenter could be heard laughing at Trump's remarks and boasts on the released audio.
Both Trump and Bush have apologised for the contents of the video.
