Former President Donald Trump expressed outrage on Tuesday following the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll civil suit against him. Carroll had accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s and then defaming her last year.
Though the jury did not find enough evidence to support Carroll’s claim of rape, they ruled that Trump was liable for “sexually abusing and forcibly touching” Carroll, as well as defamation. Consequently, they ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million.
Trump responded with a strongly-worded, all-caps post on his Truth Social platform, stating, “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!” He also posted, “VERY UNFAIR TRIAL!”
In an earlier post, Trump complained about not being allowed to speak or defend himself during the trial, while the other side had a book accusing him of rape and collaborated with the press. He intended to “appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome!”
Trump did not attend the trial, and his legal team neither called any witnesses nor presented any evidence. Jurors were able to view clips of Trump’s video deposition, according to the New York Post.
The Hill reported that Trump was given extra time to reopen the case “for the sole purpose of testifying as a witness,” but he chose not to do so.
During his closing argument, Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina claimed that Carroll’s story was a work of fiction. He criticized the legal team representing Carroll, accusing them of trying to make the jury hate Trump “enough to ignore the facts.” Tacopina also pointed out that Carroll and those testifying in support of her could not recall the exact date the alleged incident occurred, suggesting that they didn’t want to give Trump the opportunity to present an alibi witness.
