The accusation rang very loud in the room: “He knows what he did. Donald Trump knows he sexually assaulted Carroll.”. And the reply immediately came: “It’s all an invention,” said the lawyers of the former US president. Thus, in a New York court, the last arguments of a rape suit were turned on Monday that compromises the tycoon who is running again for the White House.
The trial began two weeks ago, and although Trump said he could attend at one point, he didn’t show up but instead sent a video to defend himself.
The writer E. Jean Carroll, now 79 years old, she accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room of the famous store Bergdorf Goodman in New York in the 1990s and sued him in a civil suit for assault and defamation in federal court in Manhattan.
This Monday the final arguments were heard and this Tuesday the jury – made up of three women and 6 men – begins its deliberation.
“he raped me”
Days ago, Carroll had offered his version of what would have happened decades ago in the room. When questioned by one of her lawyers, the writer replied: “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me.and when I wrote about it, she said it didn’t happen,” she said. You lied and ruined my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back.”
According to the journalists in the room, it seemed balanced, but also with some bumps in memory, such as the exact day the event occurred, 30 years ago.
Carroll, then a fashion advice columnist for Elle magazine, told jurors she bumped into Trump as she was leaving Bergdorf’s store after work.
He said he asked her to help him choose a gift for a woman. “I love giving advice, and here was Donald Trump asking me for advice on buying a gift,” Carroll testified. “It was a wonderful prospect for me.”
They made their way to the lingerie section, where Trump found a leotard and ordered her to “wear it.” She refused and told him she would have to wear it. Then she took her to the locker room area, where no one else was.
Once inside, Trump immediately locked the door and began the sexual assault, she said. “I was extremely confused and Suddenly I understood what was happeningCaroll said.
She said she pushed Trump away and he pushed her against the wall, hitting her head. She described how Trump used her weight to keep her against the wall, then pulled her stockings down. “I was pushing him back,” she said, “I was too scared to think if I was scared or not,” she added.
“His fingers entered my vagina, which was extremely painful”Carroll testified. Then, he said, she inserted his penis. He testified that he hasn’t had sex since.
Carroll said that after the attack he fled Bergdorf to Fifth Avenue in shock. Like many women after being abused, she said she later blamed herself, saying her decision to go to the locker room she had been “very stupid”.
silence
Carroll testified that he told two friends about his experience the day after the attack. One of them, Lisa Birnbach, an author and journalist, warned her that she had been raped and that sheI had to go to the police. A second friend, Carol Martin, told her not to tell anyone because Trump was powerful and had a team of lawyers who would bury her.
Ultimately, Carroll was silent for more than 20 years. “I was scared of Donald Trump”He explained.
The possibility of a criminal trial lapsed as time went on, but she told her story in an article in 2019, and Trump responded that she was a liar. Now look for it retract publicly and financial compensation.
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney who gave a 75-minute closing argument, reminded the jury that no one, not even a former president, is above the law. “He didn’t even bother to show up here in person”added the lawyer. “He knows what he did. He knows he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll.”
In closing arguments, Carroll’s legal team also played the 2005 “Access Hollywood” video showing Trump claiming celebrities can grab women by the genitalia without consent. And who said the Carroll case proved that Trump had a role model with women.
Trump’s lawyers, who did not call witnesses in his defense, began their jury appeal this afternoon, portraying the charges as unlikely, because the store was a public place and Trump was already famous.
“It’s the most ridiculous and disgusting story. It’s just made up.”Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, told jurors.
The attorney tried to disqualify Carroll’s account, saying he was only looking for “fame” and pointing out the gaps in his memory. During the trial, Tacopina also repeatedly asked the writer why she hadn’t screamed.
“Even though you realized you were in the middle of this so-called battle, Have you ever yelled at Donald Trump or asked for help?” “I’m not a screamer,” Carroll replied.
Trump denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations a “hoax”.
In excerpts from the video of the interrogation he was subjected to last October by the prosecution attorney, released on Friday, Trump said that “it’s the most ridiculous and disgusting story. It’s all a lie,” and he branded Carroll “sick”.
He reiterated that he did not know his accuser despite both appearing smiling, together with their respective partners, in a photo presented at the trial taken before their alleged meeting in 1996, in which the tycoon mistook Carroll for ex-wife Marla Aceri. Also, he referred to Carroll as a woman who was “not (her) type”.
The lawyer refuted some of Trump’s defensive arguments, such as the fact that Carroll confessed that he did not scream during the alleged rape, stating that this is the most common attitude in a traumatic event such as a sexual assault.
Or the fact that a floor of the Bergdorf department store – where the alleged violation took place – was empty at the time of the events, remembering that being a high-end venue it was not strange the low movement of customers.
After Monday’s discussions, the jury will retire to deliberate. The verdict, expected this week, will determine Trump’s potential liability and, if so, the damages Carroll is seeking. He said he’s not looking for money but restore “his good name”.
The case is one of many trials facing the 76-year-old Republican tycoon, who seeks to return to the White House in the 2024 election. Among them are his responsibilities for the Capitol attack, maneuvers to hamper the results of the 2020 election elections and the classified files he took home, among others.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.