Donald Trump denounced a “shameful verdict” on Tuesday after the former US president was found responsible for sexual assault against columnist E. Jean Carroll, by a federal civil court in New York.
The Republican magnate insisted, after knowing the deliberation of a jury, that he did not know the complainant.
“I have no idea who this woman is,” said the former US president on his Truth Social network.
In addition to considering the verdict “a shame”, the Republican, already a candidate for his party’s primaries for the 2024 presidential elections, stressed that it is “the continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time.”
Trump never appeared at the trial and declined an invitation to testify.
The decision was announced at 3:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. in Lisbon) after the jurors reached a deliberation in less than three hours.
The Manhattan court also ruled that Trump must pay about $5 million in damages for that sexual assault and defamation after Carroll’s disclosure of the facts in 2019.
This is the first time that Trump has been convicted after leaving the country’s presidency, although in January his company, the Trump Organization, was ordered to pay $1.61 million for a tax evasion scheme.
Carroll, one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment, came forward in 2019 alleging that the Republican mogul raped her in 1996 in the locker room of a Manhattan store.
Trump, 76, opted out of the civil lawsuit but said he never met Carroll, 79, at the store and did not know her.
The former US president also accused her of being “crazy” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir.
The trial saw allegations of inappropriate behavior by Trump 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 hike 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
