On Tuesday, Donald Trump will go on trial for allegedly raping a writer named E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room during the mid-1990s, according to a civil lawsuit.
In Manhattan federal court, where the former Elle magazine advice columnist is also claiming Trump of defamation, jury selection is anticipated to start.
Carroll, 79, claims she was raped by Trump, 76. In a post on his Truth Social site from October 2022, he termed her assertion a “hoax” and “complete scam.” He claimed she fabricated the encounter in order to promote her memoir and added she was “not my type!”
Trump is not obligated to show up for the trial. His attorneys have indicated that he might not show up, citing the probability of security issues and traffic backups. Trump will not be called as a witness, according to Carroll’s attorneys.
If Trump gave testimony, he would probably experience a tough cross-examination. Since Carroll first accused him of rape in front of the public in 2019, Trump has frequently insulted Carroll and in personal terms. She is psychologically ill, he has said.
To protect them from potential harassment by Trump fans, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is in charge of the case, has decided to keep the jurors’ identities secret from the general public and the attorneys.
One to two weeks could elapse throughout the experiment.
Trump, the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, is the subject of numerous legal actions and inquiries.
Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, is among them. He is accused of paying a porn star hush money.
Three minutes’ walk from the trial on Tuesday, Trump entered a not guilty plea to those charges on April 4 in a New York state courthouse.
Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, has filed civil fraud charges against the former president against his own corporation.
In addition, there are criminal investigations into Trump’s involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as investigations into his involvement in the tampering of the Georgia 2020 presidential election and the sensitive government documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Trump has refuted wrongdoing in each of these situations.
There could be more witnesses.
Carroll claimed that in late 1995 or early 1996, she met Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store.
She claimed Trump acknowledged her, referring to her as “that advice lady,” and asked for assistance in purchasing a present for another woman.
Carroll claimed that Trump “maneuvered” her into a dressing room, where he allegedly closed the door, pushed her up against a wall, undid her tights, and then penetrated her. After two to three minutes, she claimed to have gained freedom.
Carroll’s silence in public for more than 20 years and the fact that she did not call the police may be used by Trump’s attorneys to attack Carroll’s credibility.
They can also question her memory of the day or even the month of the alleged assault.
Carroll claims that the #MeToo movement encouraged her to speak forward.
Author Lisa Birnbach and former TV anchor Carol Martin, both of whom she claims she confided in after the incident, are scheduled to give testimony.
Two other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct are on Carroll’s list of potential witnesses. Trump rejects the allegations.
Their testimony might be used by Carroll’s attorneys to show a pattern of Trump’s alleged mistreatment of women.
Additionally, a 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape on which Trump made obscene, explicit remarks about women is anticipated to be played for the jury.
Trump initially refuted Carroll’s accusation of rape in June 2019, while he was still in office, and she is now suing him for defamation.
The Kaplan hearing in the case is still ongoing.
Reuters
