Monday 08 May 2023
Civil process in the final phase Plaintiff’s attorney names arguments in favor of Trump’s conviction
“No one is above the law, not even a past president,” said attorney Kaplan.
(Photo: AP)
A journalist accuses Trump of raping her in the 1990s. She is suing the ex-president for damages. In front of the jury, the woman’s lawyer once again presented all the arguments that, from her point of view, speak in favor of a conviction.
The civil trial against former US President Donald Trump over allegations of rape by journalist E. Jean Carroll is coming to an end. Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan, in her closing argument in a federal court in New York, called on the jury to convict Trump: “No one is above the law, not even a past president.”
Kaplan recalled that Carroll, 79, testified for two full days at the trial, answering “question after question after question.” The jury – six men and three women – “didn’t hear much” from Trump.
The President stayed away from the civil trial that started at the end of April; nor was he obliged to appear. During the trial, however, footage of Kaplan questioning Trump in October was shown. The 76-year-old had once again firmly rejected Carroll’s allegations and emphasized that the former columnist for Elle magazine was not his “type”.
However, when questioned, Trump confused Carroll with his ex-wife Marla Maples in a photo from the 1990s that was shown to him. Kaplan now used this in her closing speech to cast doubt on the ex-president’s statements. The truth is that Carroll “was exactly his type,” said the attorney.
“He thinks stars like him can get away with it”
Kaplan also referred to an audio recording made public shortly before the 2016 presidential election in which Trump boasted that he could kiss women without being asked and grab them between the legs. That was Trump’s “procedure,” said the lawyer: “He thinks stars like him can get away with it.”
Carroll accused Trump of raping her in the dressing room of a luxury department store in New York in the spring of 1996. She only made her accusation public in 2019, when Trump was president. Trump accused Carroll of lying and said she wasn’t his “type.” Carroll then sued the President for defamation, and later in a second lawsuit for the alleged rape itself, and again for defamation. She demands damages in an undisclosed amount.
After the closing arguments of both sides, the jury will retire to its deliberations. A verdict could then fall at any time. Since this is a civil proceeding and not a criminal proceeding, Trump faces no jail time even if convicted.
Trump has been accused by numerous women of sexual misconduct, including rape, over the decades. The Republican, who wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election, has always denied such allegations. He was never prosecuted.
Source: ntv.de
jpe/AFP
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