Former President Donald Trump was deposed on Wednesday. Under oath, Trump answered questions regarding an incident in which he is accused of raping former Elle Magazine Columnist E. Jean Carroll. Details regarding Trump’s answers and his demeanor remain under wraps as the trial continues.
“My client was pleased to set the record straight today. This case is nothing more than a political ploy like many others in the long list of witch hunts against Donald Trump,” Alina Habba, one of the attorneys representing the former President, told The Associated Press.
Current laws in the state of New York prevent Carroll from suing the former President regarding the allegation that he raped her. However, she is able to sue the former President for slander. When the accusation that he raped her in the mid-1990s became public, Trump made a number of disparaging comments. Most notably, he insinuated that Carroll was paid to accuse him of committing the violent crime.
“Women were actually paid money to say bad things about me,” Trump said in 2019.
“But here’s a case, it’s an absolute disgrace that she’s allowed to do that.”
For several years, the defamation trial has been delayed by Trump and his legal representatives. The former President has argued that he should be protected by a law that prevents public officials from being sued in most cases of defamation. However, Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York has found that defense to be insufficient in this matter.
“We’re pleased that on behalf of our client, E. Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump’s deposition today,” Carroll’s attorneys at Kaplan Hecker & Fink stated.
“We are not able to comment further.”
