Donald Trump – Must testify on rape charges

NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Trump reacted with a furious outburst when Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in New York decided last week that it was not appropriate to postpone his testimony in the case.

Carroll, who is a prominent writer and columnist for Elle magazine, claims that Trump raped her at New York’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s. Trump called the accusation a “hoax and a lie”. This prompted Carroll to sue Trump for defamation as early as three years ago.

After several twists and turns, the judge concluded last week that Trump cannot delay his testimony in the case. Therefore, he is expected to testify in New York on Wednesday.

– I do not know

The former president didn’t like it.

– I don’t know that woman. I have no idea who she is, other than the fact that she appears to have taken a picture with me years ago with her husband of hers, shaking hands in line outside a charity event, Trump said last week. according to AP.

Describes a “fraud”.

– She completely made up a story about me meeting her on the doorstep of a crowded department store in New York, and within minutes I made her pass out. It’s a hoax and a lie, just like other hoaxes that have been used against me for the past seven years, says Trump.

Trump immediately attempted in November 2019 to get the court to dismiss the lawsuit. However, this was dismissed by the New York court. His lawyer then asked for the case to be suspended while another defamation case against Trump was pending. This too was rejected by the court, he writes The hill.

The vending machine

In September 2020 – while Trump was still president – the United States Department of Justice attempted to take over the case by claiming that Trump was a federal employee when he made the statements about Carroll.

This too was rejected by Judge Lewis Kaplan.

The Ministry of Justice appealed this decision and asked the court to wait for the case until the appeal was processed. Therefore, the case was suspended for nearly a year before Kaplan said no to Trump’s referral request. In September last year, the case could finally proceed.

The judge also dismissed Trump’s attempt to counter-sue Carroll in March of this year.

In early October, Carroll’s lawyers announced they wanted to get a deposition from Trump on October 19. Shortly thereafter, Trump again asked for a postponement. This too was flatly rejected by the judge.

– Trump has been pursuing this case since it started in 2019 with the effect – and likely with the goal – of delaying it, Kaplan wrote in his decision, according to The Hill.

Adult actors

Kaplan further points out that both Trump and Carroll and other witnesses are already adults and that Trump “should not be allowed to wait” for this cause, according to Yahoo News.

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, says she is satisfied with the decision to have Trump testify.

– Donald Trump’s latest statement obviously deserves no response, he says in a statement about Trump’s outburst of anger last week, according to AP.

Carroll himself is expected to testify on Friday.

In the dressing room

The case started in 2019 when Carroll posted an excerpt from a book the New York magazine.

Here she claims that Trump raped her in a Bergman Goodman’s dressing room. Carroll says he met Trump by accident and asked her for help in finding a gift for “a girl”. Eventually they must have ended up in the underwear department.

– As soon as the door to the rehearsal room closes, he rushes over to me and pushes me against the wall. He grabs both of my arms and pushes me against the wall once more, writes Carroll.

Over the years, Trump has been accused by more than 20 women of various forms of sexual harassment and rape.

Shortly before the 2016 election, the now infamous “Access Hollywood” recording also emerged. Here, Trump brags about how he can commit sexual assaults. Among other things, he says that women leave him “Grab them by the pussy” because he was famous.

Surrounded

The former president is currently surrounded by legal problems, lawsuits and investigations.

Among other things, the Ministry of Justice is investigating whether Trump has illegally stored classified documents in Mar-a-Lago. In Georgia, he and other supporters are being investigated for illegally attempting to influence the 2020 presidential election.

In New York, his company was sued for $ 250 million by the state, which claims it has committed tax fraud and evasion for many years.

However, Trump should be particularly concerned about Carroll’s cause.

– He’s very focused on this cause for some reason, New York Times reporter and “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and The Breaking of America” ​​author Maggie Haberman tells CNN.