E. Jean Carroll Tells Her Story in Trump’s Rape/Defamation Civil Trial

In dramatic testimony Tuesday, E. Jean Carroll related that Donald Trump raped her at an upscale Manhattan department store in the mid 1990s. She was on the witness stand during the first day of testimony at a federal civil trial in Manhattan federal court. Carroll is suing Trump for battery and defamation.

Former president Trump has denied the rape accusation. Indeed, the fiery rhetoric with which he has done so, once while he was president and again last year when he was out of office, forms the basis for the two defamation claims she has filed against him. As I will explain, only one of those claims is part of the ongoing trial, along with the rape claim.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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In dramatic testimony Tuesday, E. Jean Carroll related that Donald Trump raped her at an upscale Manhattan department store in the mid 1990s. She was on the witness stand during the first day of testimony at a federal civil trial in Manhattan federal court. Carroll is suing Trump for battery and defamation.

Former president Trump has denied the rape accusation. Indeed, the fiery rhetoric with which he has done so, once while he was president and again last year when he was out of office, forms the basis for the two defamation claims she has filed against him. As I will explain, only one of those claims is part of the ongoing trial, along with the rape claim.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.