The former American president is accused by E. Jean Carrol, a former columnist for the magazine “Elle”, of having raped her in 1996.
Donald Trump again in court. The former American president has been appearing since Tuesday, April 25, before a civil court in New York. He is accused of raping E. Jean Carroll, a former columnist for the magazine She in the United States, in the mid-1990s. The billionaire’s lawyer, for his part, claims that the former journalist is a storyteller eager for money and fame.
Nine jurors, six men and three women, were selected Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan to try to shed light on the case. Judge Lewis Kaplan guaranteed that their anonymity would be preserved to avoid any pressure. The trial is expected to last five to ten days.
According to E. Jean Carroll, Donald Trump “groped her, groped her and raped her” after luring her into the fitting room of a New York department store, Bergdorf Goodman. She says she does not remember the exact date, but the facts would go back “in the spring of 1996”. “By the time they’ve been inside [de la cabine], everything changed. Suddenly nothing was funny anymore.launched a lawyer for the complainant, Shawn Crowley, at the opening of the proceedings. “Trump was almost twice his size”she added.
“You may hate Donald Trump, but…”
The lawyer explained that the columnist had remained silent for 20 years for fear of having her reputation destroyed by a powerful businessman. But in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the former columnist had finally decided to speak in a book in 2019. Two friends, to whom E.Jean Carroll had confided shortly after the facts, will come to corroborate her story at the bar, promised Shawn Crowley.
For his part, Donald Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, blasted “an affront to justice”. “She abuses the system for money, for political reasons and for her status.”he continued, in front of E. Jean Carroll, 79, who was staring at him.
But, aware that the figure of Donald Trump, absent at the opening of the proceedings, and probably throughout the trial, could arouse rejection in New York, he took care to address this subject in front of jurors. “You can hate Donald Trump, no problem (…) But not here, in court.”