The US Department of Justice has reversed its previous stance and stated that former President Donald Trump can be held liable for defamatory comments he made about a woman who accused him of rape. Government attorneys no longer believe that Mr Trump was acting within the scope of his duties when he made the disparaging remarks in 2019. This decision strengthens E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Mr Trump.
In May, Mr Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages to Carroll after being found liable for sexually abusing her in 1996. Carroll, who is seeking $10 million in the defamation lawsuit, alleges that Mr Trump’s remarks as president about her constituted defamation. The lawsuit has been updated to include further comments he made about her during a CNN town hall.
The justice department had previously argued that government attorneys could defend Mr Trump because he made the remarks while serving as president. However, they now state that there is not enough evidence to conclude that Mr Trump’s motivations were related to his duties as president. The justice department’s letter to the judge in the case explained that Mr Trump’s comments were driven by personal grievances from events that occurred prior to his presidency.
The justice department’s reconsideration has been welcomed by Carroll’s lawyer, who has maintained that Mr Trump’s statements were made out of personal animus and ill will. The new evidence presented in the Manhattan civil trial earlier this year played a role in the department’s decision. Although Mr Trump’s comments were made through official channels, they pertained to a purely personal incident, an alleged sexual assault that occurred decades before his presidency.
In response to the justice department’s decision, Mr Trump took to his Truth Social platform, denouncing the case as a “political Witch Hunt” and reiterating false claims that he had never known Carroll. He called the lawsuit a “travesty of justice.” The defamation trial is scheduled for January, and the justice department’s stance may bolster Carroll’s case against the former president.
SOURCE: Ref Image from Bloomberg.com
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