Former US President Donald Trump appeared on trial, accused of rape

[ad_1]

Donald Trump went on trial Tuesday, where writer E. Jean Carroll is accusing the former US president in a civil suit of raping him in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or through the app.

Jury selection is expected to begin in Manhattan federal court, where the former Elle magazine advise columnist is also accusing Trump of defamation.

Trump, 76, denied raping Carroll, 79. He called her claim a hoax and a complete Scam in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform. He said he staged the encounter to promote his memoir and declared that he was not my type!

Trump is not required to attend the trial. His lawyers said he may not appear, citing the possibility of security concerns and traffic delays. Attorneys for the Carrolls said they do not plan to call Trump as a witness.

If Trump testifies, he will likely face an aggressive cross-examination. Trump has attacked Carroll repeatedly and in personal terms since he first publicly accused her of rape in 2019. He claimed she was mentally ill.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, kept jurors anonymous from the public, including lawyers, to protect them from potential harassment by Trump supporters. The trial may take one to two weeks.

Trump, the Republican front-runner for the 2024 presidential election, is facing numerous lawsuits and investigations.

These include criminal charges by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs over payments of money to a porn star.

Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges on April 4 in a New York state courthouse, a three-minute walk from Tuesday’s trial.

The former president is also facing civil fraud charges by New York Attorney General Letitia James over his namesake company.

Trump also faces criminal investigations into interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential race and classified government documents obtained at his Mar-a-Lago residence, along with questions about his role in attack on January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol.

In all of these cases, Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Carroll said his encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store occurred in late 1995 or early 1996.

She said Trump met her, called her a woman of advice, and asked for help buying a gift for another woman.

Carroll said Trump maneuvered her into a dressing room where he closed the door, forced her against a wall, pulled down her pantyhose and forced her inside. He said he was freed after two to three minutes.

Trump’s lawyers may try to undermine Carrolls’ credibility by pointing out that he never called the police and remained silent in public for more than two decades.

They may also challenge his inability to remember the date or even the month of the alleged assault. Carroll said the #MeToo movement inspired her to come forward.

Two women he said he confided in after the attack, author Lisa Birnbach and former news anchor Carol Martin, are expected to testify.

Carrolls’ witness list also includes two other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, which Trump has denied.

Carroll’s lawyers could use their testimony to establish a pattern of Trump’s alleged mistreatment of women.

They are also expected to play for jurors a 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump made graphic, vulgar comments about women.

Carroll also sued Trump for defamation after he first denied her rape claim in June 2019, when he was still president. That case remains pending before Kaplan.

Read more:

Trump wants to attend trial of rape accusers, but may not due to security concerns

Judge allows former prosecutor’s congressional subpoena in Trump probe

US presidential election 2024: Who’s in, who’s out and who’s still thinking about it?

[ad_2]