On Tuesday, a New York jury heard Donald Trump’s attorney argue that advice columnist E Jean Carroll and other women planned to accuse Trump of rape because they “hate” him for winning the 2016 election.
Carroll is suing Trump for violence and slander “to clear her name, pursue justice, and get her life back” after the former president allegedly raped her in a New York department store in 1996 and then denied it, according to the first day of a civil trial in a Manhattan federal court.
According to The Guardian, Trump’s attorney Joseph Tacopina told the jury of three women and six men that Carroll launched the action for political motives, to promote a book, and to gain media attention.
The trial’s specifics
Tacopina claimed that Carroll and two other women, who are likely to testify that she told them about the incident shortly afterward, cooked up the rape allegation.
“They schemed to hurt Donald Trump politically,” he said.
According to Tacopina, Carroll first accused then-President Trump of rape after meeting with George Conway, a major opponent who was married to Kellyanne Conway, one of the president’s closest advisers in the White House. Carroll’s attorneys’ objection to his claim was upheld by the judge. It’s uncertain whether Tacopina will bring it up again after Carroll’s testimony.
Carroll claims Trump assaulted her in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York in 1996 after they bumped into each other at the entrance and he requested aid in selecting a gift for a friend.
Carroll’s attorney, Shawn Crowley, told the jury that Trump forced Carroll into a changing room before hitting her. Trump shoved Carroll’s head against the wall, pinned her arms behind her back, yanked her tights down, and then put his fingers into her vagina, according to the attorney.
Crowley claimed Carroll tried to knee Trump and kick him, but Trump overpowered her.
“He removed his hand and forced his penis inside her,” the lawyer told the jury.
Defense attorney argues E Jean Carroll didn’t see Trump as a threat and was filled with fear and shame
Crowley addressed the two topics she believed would be on the minds of the jurors. What prompted Carroll and Trump to enter the changing room? And why didn’t she call the cops immediately to report the alleged rape?
The attorney stated that when Trump requested Carroll to try on a see-through bodysuit, she rebuffed him and informed him that since it was his color, he should be the one wearing it. Trump then led Carroll to the locker room while clutching her arm.
“To her, the situation was harmless and funny,” said Crowley. “The truth is she didn’t see Trump as a threat.”
Crowley stated that Carroll informed two friends about the incident. One person suggested she contact the police. The other urged remaining silent because Trump was a powerful figure. Carroll, according to Crowley, was “filled with fear and shame” for a long time, which kept her from speaking.
Defense attorney disputes E Jean Carroll’s claims of sexual assault by Donald Trump
Carroll faced a storm of “vicious attacks” from the president after deciding to speak out following Trump’s election in 2016 and the development of the #MeToo movement.
Tacopina told the jury that it was implausible for no one at a major department store to have observed Carroll and Trump together and that no personnel were present in the vicinity of the alleged assault.
Despite Bergdorf Goodman’s typical practice of keeping changing rooms closed unless a customer requests admission, Carroll stated that the door was unlocked. Tacopina disputed Carroll’s explanation for why she did not call the police.
“E Jean Carroll once called the police on teenagers who vandalized her mailbox but not when she was violently raped,” he told the jury.
