Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to the verdict in a rape trial brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll ― telling his Truth Social followers “THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE.”
After just three hours of deliberations, the jury of six men and three women found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, and awarded her $5 million in damages.
“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS,” Trump subsequently posted. “THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”
Carroll was able to sue under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows sexual abuse survivors a one-time chance to file civil suits in spite of any relevant statutes of limitations.
In an emailed statement to HuffPost, the Trump campaign attempted to reframe the case as “a political endeavor” targeting Trump due to his status as “an overwhelming front-runner” in the 2024 presidential election.
The statement added that Trump plans to appeal the verdict.
Carroll maintains that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in New York City in the mid-1990s, an allegation Trump denies.
Trump refused to testify at the trial, then falsely claimed he was “not allowed to speak or defend” himself, and described his own decision not to speak as “unconstitutional silencing.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
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