[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Well, it happened! Donald Trump is actually being held responsible for a crime! Um, sort of…
The jury returned their verdict in E. Jean Carroll‘s defamation case on Tuesday. The entire point of the case was the Ask E. Jean columnist’s rape accusation against the former President of the United States. She claimed in her book that Trump had violently forced himself on her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf’s in the mid ’90s. He called her a liar — leading her to sue him for defamation. As she said in her first statement on the stand:
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me. And when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen. He lied and shattered my reputation. And I’m here to try to get my life back.”
Trump’s denial of Carroll’s claims was well-documented in the public eye, so there was no question there. Ultimately the entire trial was about whether the jury believed her story over his denial. And it turns out they did.
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In the matter of her civil battery claim against the ex-POTUS, the jury awarded Carroll $2 million! Carroll had to prove Trump’s assault on her was rape, sexual abuse, or forcible touching. They agreed that Trump had committed sexual abuse against Carroll — though they stopped at rape. But that still made it battery. On the matter of defamation, they said Trump should pay his victim another $3 mil! That’s a $5 MILLION loss for the current presidential candidate!
This is not a criminal trial, obviously, so Trump isn’t being found guilty but rather liable — and no, he will not be getting any prison time. (He actually can’t be prosecuted as it’s past the statute of limitations.) But the fact it was a civil trial also made the burden of proof a little lower. The jury just had to determine based on a preponderance of evidence whether it was more likely she was telling the truth and that he’d raped her — or whether she was lying about the whole thing.
Obviously they heard her horrific story again, about him jovially tricking her into the dressing room — and once there using his weight against her, holding her down while forcibly raping her. The jury heard her say, once again, how she’d told two friends right after — and they heard the friends, contemporary witnesses, corroborate that.
The jury did not hear directly from Trump, who refused to testify. Instead they watched video of his deposition, which many legal experts thought was disastrous. First he claimed he’d never met Carroll — despite photographic evidence of them speaking. Then he said she wasn’t his type — only to confuse her for his ex-wife Marla Maples in an old photo of them together!
Then of course there was the Access Hollywood tape. Trump infamously had been caught on a hot mic bragging to Billy Bush about forcing himself on women, saying “when you’re a star, they let you do it.” Trump even doubled down when asked about the tape by Carroll’s lawyer, saying:
“Historically, that’s true with stars. If you look over the last million years, that’s what’s been largely true of the stars — unfortunately or fortunately.”
Add to that multiple women relaying their own stories of Trump doing just that, and the preponderance of evidence was undeniable. After just a few short hours the jury returned with their verdict, finding him liable for sexual abuse.
Trump barely put up a fight, legally speaking. Of course, outside the court he continued to bash E. Jean and other accusers on social media. In response to the verdict, he posted on his Truth Social:
“I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace.”
But that’s not a court of law. When it came down to it, he was not willing to get on the stand and swear to tell the truth. That pretty much tells you everything you need to know, doesn’t it?
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via MEGA/WENN/CBS News/YouTube.]
