Former US President Donald Trump testified under oath on Wednesday at a libel trial over rape allegations by author E. Jean Carroll.
“We are pleased to record today the affidavit from Donald Trump on behalf of our client E. Jean Carroll. We are unable to comment further,” US media quoted a spokesperson for the law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink, which represents Carroll. Details of the content and scope of the statement were not disclosed.
Among other things, Carroll wrote in a book excerpt published in the summer of 2019 that Trump raped her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. The Republican had already dismissed the allegations in 2019 — including saying, “She’s not my type.” He stated – then as president – that he had never met Carroll. She’s just trying to sell a new book and has accused other men of similar things. Carroll then sued Trump for portraying her as a liar and defaming her.
Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said her client was happy with his affidavit “to clean.” This case is nothing more than a political ploy, “like many others on the long list of witch-hunts against Donald Trump,” the US media quoted the lawyer as saying. According to media reports, the ex-president was at his Mar-a-Lago estate in the US state of Florida during the interview. It was unclear whether his statements were recorded in person or via video. The lawsuit will be heard in a New York City court.
Carroll, now 78, was said to be questioned last Friday by Trump’s lawyers. Neither she nor Trump’s lawyers commented on the conduct of this investigation. Trump is 76 years old, he was President of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
A judge last week rejected Trump’s attempt to delay his testimony at the trial. He could not delay “the plaintiff’s attempt to obtain compensation for a supposedly serious wrong,” he said as the reason. Trump then echoed his claim in a post on the Truth Social social network, which he co-founded, that Carroll invented the whole thing. “I don’t know this woman, I have no idea who she is.”
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No criminal proceedings have yet been launched against Trump in connection with Carroll’s allegations. The deadline for filing sexual assault charges in the 1990s has long passed. Carroll therefore decided to sue Trump for defamation, at least for his statements in 2019. However, the rape allegation could soon be rolled up: in the US state of New York, victims of sexual assault in previous cases can file a lawsuit from November.
Republican Trump has been repeatedly accused of assaulting women. So far, none of these allegations have had any legal ramifications for him. The ex-president is also involved in legal disputes on several other fronts. (aeg/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
