OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump announced he was planning new legal action following a jury’s findings on Tuesday regarding a sexual assault and defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump said he plans to appeal the civil case, adding that he has “absolutely no idea” who she is while ripping the federal verdict as a “disgrace” and “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history.”
The federal jury in New York City ruled that Trump is liable for sexual abuse and defamation charges, but not for rape. Trump has been ordered to pay $5 million.
Trump said he has “absolutely no idea who this woman is.”
“This verdict is a disgrace,” he told Fox News Digital. “It is a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history.” He added he “will appeal.”
“We’ll appeal. We got treated very badly by the Clinton-appointed judge,” Trump said. “And [Carroll] is a Clinton person, too.”
He noted further: “I have no idea who this woman is.”
Fox News noted further:
Carroll, 79, alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996. According to Carroll, the two had a chance run-in at the store, where Trump was shopping for a gift for “a girl.”
She said he asked for her advice, and the two shopped together before he pushed her into a dressing room and assaulted her. Trump and his legal team insist that Carroll’s allegations are fabricated, with the former president’s initial reaction including an accusation that Carroll was motivated by wanting to sell copies of her book. T
hat denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation claim, claiming that his response caused harm to her reputation.
BREAKING: E. Jean Carroll and her lawyer admit on CNN that they colluded with New York Democrats to pass a law allowing people to sue for a sexual assault case outside of the 20 year window.
“Well, E. Jean actually helped to get that law passed. It passed last year. Uh we filed.… pic.twitter.com/RCHgZoTh3s
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 10, 2023
🚨 President Trump responds to verdict in E. Jean Carroll case: “THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE!” pic.twitter.com/mcS1HafT5w
— Patriot Alerts (@alerts___) May 9, 2023
Just a reminder that this is E. Jean Carroll — the deranged woman who launched the bogus lawsuit against Trump.pic.twitter.com/y5TJgKc8zR
— Patriot Alerts (@alerts___) May 9, 2023
The problem for Trump's critics claiming they can now call him a "sexual abuser" is the simple fact that a New York jury determined E. Jean Carroll lied when she claimed she had been raped 30 years ago. The only thing Democrats can claim is that New York juries do not like the… pic.twitter.com/tG7GVWiwg2
— @amuse (@amuse) May 10, 2023
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back,” Carroll said in a statement following the verdict, according to the outlet. “Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”
Carroll sought monetary compensation and an order for Trump to recant his statement.
The former president’s 2024 campaign blasted the ruling as a “witch hunt” that had reached a “new low,” as well as an “abuse of our great Constitution.”
“In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation’s justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage,” the statement noted further.
“Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming front-runner to be once again elected President of the United States.”
Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said in closing arguments that Carroll’s story is too wild to be taken seriously and believed.
So they didn’t believe E. Jean Carroll story about being raped.
But they found President Trump guilty of assault.
How does that work?
She lied, but not well enough?
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) May 10, 2023
“The facts in evidence made plain here that E. Jean Carroll’s story is not worthy of your belief, not even close,” Tacopina said. “Her story – and it’s just that, a story – is not true, she was not raped at Bergdorf Goodman’s. She was not defamed by being called out on making up that story.”
Trump didn’t testify at the trial but instead gave a videotaped deposition in October. Famed legal expert Jonathan Turley thinks that may have been a mistake on Trump’s part and he may have difficulty on appeal.
He told Fox News:
The biggest problem for the president, I think at trial, and it’s going to be on appeal, is he decided not to testify. He didn’t even appear in the courtroom. That not only triggered inferences, but it likely poisoned the well a bit for these jurors. Jurors don’t like it.
