Former US President Donald Trump denied on Wednesday that he had raped columnist E. Jean Carroll, in a video testimony presented in court, assuring that the accusations were “fabricated”.
The jury saw roughly 30 minutes of excerpts from Trump’s testimony, including his emphatic denial of the columnist’s allegation that he had attacked her in the mid-1990s in a locker room at a Manhattan store.
“If that had happened, it would have been reported within minutes,” Trump said, claiming that customers and employees at the “very busy store” would have heard something and alerted authorities.
“It is the most ridiculous and disgusting story. It’s made up,” Trump said in videotaped testimony, recorded in October.
On the same day, Trump’s lawyers said they would not call any witnesses and the judge said closing arguments would likely be made Monday, before the jury begins deliberating Tuesday.
Trump did not appear at the trial and will not testify, adding weight to his testimony.
Jurors in Manhattan federal court are expected to hear other parts of Trump’s testimony on Thursday, followed by three more witnesses who will be called to testify by Carroll’s lawyers.
Carroll is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a retraction of Trump’s statements that he says are defamatory.
Trump denied knowing Carroll, later saying, “She’s not my type.” And he argued that the allegations are politically motivated attempts to tarnish her reputation and remove him from the White House.
The courtroom saw further allegations of Trump’s inappropriate behavior with women and the playing of the “Access Hollywood” video, in which Trump bragged about grabbing women’s genitals without asking permission.
Natasha Stoynoff, a former writer for People magazine, tearfully testified that Trump forcibly kissed her, against her will, while showing her his Mar-a-Lago property shortly after Christmas 2005 for an article about his first wedding anniversary with his third wife, Melania.
Before the trial, Trump’s lawyers could not prevent jurors from watching the “Access Hollywood” video and listening to Stoynoff, who said he told few people about the alleged incident at the time but decided to go public. after seeing the video and Trump’s subsequent statements. denials in a 2016 debate.
Trump has denied ever trying to kiss Stoynoff.
Stoynoff’s testimony came a day after another woman, former stockbroker Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump groped her breasts and tried to push up her skirt while they sat next to each other on an overnight flight from the years 70.
Carroll kept the allegations against Trump secret for 17 years, telling only two close friends about them, before going public in a 2019 memoir.
Trump’s lawyers attacked Carroll’s credibility through extensive cross-examination, questioning why he did not yell for help during the alleged attack and why he never went to police.
A psychologist who testified on Carroll’s behalf said it was common for rape victims to remain silent and blame themselves.
Source: TSF
