Former US President, Donald Trump again denied on Friday having committed sexual abuse for which he was found guiltywithin the framework of An appeal to three judges against a five million dollar judgment in the E. Jean Carroll casewho accused the president of sexual abuse and defamation. In addition, the sentence in the case of bribery of former porn actress Stormy Daniels was postponed until after the presidential elections on November 5. This is an important victory for the Republican candidate, which comes four days before the debate with vice president and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“Witch hunt”
Trump, who appeared at the Lower Manhattan court in a navy suit and red tie, was not required to attend the hearing, which lasted less than half an hour, and then held a press conference where he did not allow questions. He repeatedly denied knowing the accuser, much less touching her, and called the accusation a “witch hunt” to prevent him from winning the election.
Visibly irritated, The former president even attacked his lawyers, who were stunned. He is “disappointed” with his job, said Trump, who after 40 minutes began to talk about his rival Kamala Harris, saying that he was far ahead in the polls, when in reality they are very close. After his speech The Republican tycoon left for North Carolina, one of the most disputed states in the electionswhere the sending of the first mail-in ballots was delayed by a judge’s decision.
Trump’s legal team on Friday sought to overturn a nine-jury civil court verdict that found Trump liable for defaming and sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll and in which the Republican politician was ordered to pay five million dollars. At the trial in May 2023, jurors heard evidence and testimony related to the writer’s accusation, which She alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her in a store fitting room in the mid-1990s. and defamed her after she went public with the story.
Trump said he skipped the first trial on the advice of his then-lawyer, who told him he had won the case because there was insufficient evidence, which did not happen. He did, however, attend and testify briefly in a second trial with Carroll for defamation, which ended in an $83 million judgment in January of this year.
“He said, she said”
This Friday Trump’s lawyer, John Sauercalled the case before the three judges charged with making the decision a “He said, she said” case, and warned that the alleged evidence was “implausible.” Sauer argued that the judge issued “flawed and prejudicial evidentiary decisions” and said two of Carroll’s friends who said the writer, who did not report the case to the police, told them about the abuse should not have been allowed to testify.
Sauer also said Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who testified about alleged abuse by Trump that bore similarities to Carroll’s allegations, should not have been allowed to take the stand. Trump again called the women liars and dismissed their accounts, especially Leeds’s, who once said Trump abused her on a plane.
For her part, Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplansaid in court that the women’s stories were crucial to establishing a pattern of conduct by Trump that aligned with the writer’s allegations. “He would start out with nice conversations with the women, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he would pounce on them.”noted Kaplan, who criticized him for not attending the first trial or calling any witnesses. Outside the court, dozens of protesters gathered holding signs with Trump’s face and words like “Rapist,” “Criminal” and “Liar.”
Deferred sentences
This is not the only case that Trump is facing in court. After being found guilty of falsifying accounting records, the former president was scheduled to be sentenced on September 18, but Judge Juan Merchan postponed it to November 26.In May, a jury in New York found Trump guilty of 23 counts of falsifying documents to silence a porn actress with whom he had had an extramarital affair.
Trump’s legal team had tried hard to postpone the sentence, arguing that it constituted clear electoral interference ahead of the November 5 presidential election. In this case, Trump faces up to four years in prison, but experts say Merchan will most likely opt for a shorter sentence, or perhaps probation or periodic court visits.
Besides The judge in the trial of Trump’s attempts to illegally overturn the 2020 election results set a timeline Thursday for the next two monthssetting up a series of legal battles in the days before and after the November election. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges against Trump, to file a brief by Sept. 26 on how the high court’s ruling affects the case against the former president.
The tycoon’s lawyers, who asked for the case to be dismissed based on the ruling, have until October 17 to respond. Prosecutors, for their part, will have until October 29 to respond. In July, the Supreme Court recognized broad immunity for the office of president of the United States for acts in official activities, although it specified that the incumbent can be prosecuted for unofficial acts.