Trump calls sexual abuse verdict ‘disgrace’
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump reacted to a federal jury finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming advice columnist E Jean Carroll, and ordering him to pay a total of $5m in damages:
I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!
Key events
California’s senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, is poised to return to the Senate after a three-month health absence during which she missed upwards of 90 floor votes.
The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, released a statement on Tuesday welcoming her return.
“I’m glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work,” it said. “After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, it’s clear she is back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California.”
The 89-year-old lawmaker has been facing growing calls to resign amid concerns about her physical and cognitive health. Her inability to attend votes has also impeded the Democrats’ ability to confirm nominees from President Joe Biden, as Democrats hold just a slim majority in the Senate. Feinstein’s absence led to several stalemates and stalled votes, they argue – a characterization Feinstein has disputed.
Hello readers, this is Kari Paul from the Guardian’s west coast bureau taking over for the next couple hours. Stay tuned for updates.
Before the verdict was read, Law & Crime reports that federal judge Lewis Kaplan advised jurors on whether or not to make public their involvement in the case against Donald Trump:
Judge tells jurors that each of them has the ability to talk about their experiences — and publicly identify themselves, if they do so.
But he advises them not to: “Not now, and not for a long time.”
The judge DIRECTS them not to identify other jurors.
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 9, 2023
Expect to hear lots of reactions in the hours to come from Washington and elsewhere to this verdict, and the Guardian’s Kari Paul is now taking over the blog to keep you posted on the latest developments.
A spokesman for the former president elaborated on his objections to the verdict reached against him by a federal jury in New York City.
“Make no mistake, this entire bogus case is a political endeavor targeting President Trump because he is now an overwhelming frontrunner to be once again elected president of the United States,” the spokesman said in a statement, which added that the verdict was part of the “Democratic party’s never-ending witch-hunt”.
“Sadly, for the enemies of American freedom and democracy, President Trump will never stop fighting for the American people, no matter what the radical Democrats dream up next,” the spokesman continued.
“This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.”
Reuters reports that Donald Trump plans to appeal the sexual abuse and defamation verdict against him.
Meanwhile, here’s a clip of E Jean Carroll as she departed the courthouse:
The hardworking reporters at Law & Crime caught E Jean Carroll as she was exiting the courthouse in New York City, where she sounded positive about the outcome of the lawsuit she brought against Donald Trump:
Trump calls sexual abuse verdict ‘disgrace’
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump reacted to a federal jury finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming advice columnist E Jean Carroll, and ordering him to pay a total of $5m in damages:
I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!
While jurors did not find Donald Trump liable for the most damning allegation E Jean Carroll brought against him – rape – their verdict is nonetheless going to cost the former president, both financially and perhaps in terms of his reputation.
The New York City jury found him liable for defamation and sexual abuse, and have ordered him to pay a total of $5m in damages: for the battery claim, $2m in compensation and $20,000 in punitive damages, and for defamation, $2.7m in compensation and $280,000 in punitive damages.
Trump has not yet commented about the verdict on Truth Social, which he usually uses to make his opinions on matters known. But he’s set to tomorrow evening participate in a town hall organized by CNN in New Hampshire – and surely be asked about the verdicts then.
Trump defamed Carroll, jury finds, orders $3m in damages
A federal jury in New York City found that Donald Trump defamed advice columnist E Jean Carroll with an October 2022 social media post in which he called her allegations a “con job”, Reuters reports.
The jury awarded Carroll a total of $3m in damages, $2.7m of which are compensatory and $280,000 of which are punitive. They also awarded $20,000 in punitive damages against Trump over a claim of battery made by Carroll.
Jury finds Trump sexually abused Carroll, awards $2m
A federal jury in New York City has found that Donald Trump sexually abused advice columnist E Jean Carroll and awarded more than $2m in damages, Reuters reports. However, the jurors did not agree with Carroll’s allegation that the former president raped her, according to Reuters.
Some color from the courtroom where the verdict in the Trump civil rape lawsuit will be read imminently, courtesy of Law & Crime:
Judge issues decorum warning for Carroll v. Trump verdict:
“No shouting. No jumping up and down. No race for the door.”
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 9, 2023
