Trump heads to New York court where he could TESTIFY against E. Jean Carroll
Donald Trump is headed to Manhattan where he could testify against his rape accuser, E. Jean Carroll, in the sexual abuse defamation trial.
The former president, 77, left Trump Tower for downtown just hours after flying in from a rally in New Hampshire just 24 hours before Tuesday’s Republican primary.
He walked out of Trump Tower with a closed fist on Monday morning, days after showing red marks that turned out to be paper cuts.
The frontrunner in the GOP race has been in and out of court during the dramatic trial, where the judge has threatened to remove him for complaining too loudly.
His lawyer Alina Habba has also been involved in tense arguments over her requests to dismiss the case and delay the trial so Trump could attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
Donald Trump heads to court in Manhattan to testify against E. Jean Carroll in sexual assault defamation trial
Trump attended Thursday’s service while Carroll testified and the case continued without him.
Because another jury ruled last year that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has ruled that if the former president takes the stand now, he will not be allowed to say she fabricated her accusation or that she was motivated. due to financial or political considerations.
But even as he merely watched the proceedings, the loquacious ex-president and current Republican front-runner has not controlled his disdain for the case.
Write on her Civil Discourse Blog, Former prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote that Trump’s testimony could only end badly, as the trial is intended to see how much compensation he should pay to Carroll.
The former president, 77, left Trump Tower and headed downtown just hours after flying in from a rally in New Hampshire just 24 hours before Tuesday’s Republican primary.
“The smart money says there is no way his lawyers would expose him to cross-examination by Carroll’s highly competent legal team,” she wrote.
“Only the amount of damages is in dispute, and that is not a topic on which Trump’s testimony is particularly helpful; he can only make it worse. That damage will likely be greater if Trump takes his stand and acts in his predictable manner,” Vance added.
While Carroll was testifying last week, he complained loudly enough to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con” that the judge threatened to throw Trump out of the courtroom if he continued.
Trump moved on and remained in the courtroom, after which he held a press conference where he deplored the “nasty judge.”
“It’s honestly a shame what’s happening,” Trump told reporters, repeating his claim that Carroll’s claim was “a made-up, made-up story.”
In addition to clashing with Kaplan, Trump also took on a New York state judge in his recent civil suit fraud case, alleging he inflated his wealth.
While Carroll (pictured) was testifying last week, Trump complained loudly enough to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con” that the judge threatened to throw Trump out of the courtroom if he continued.
Trump waves to his supporters as he leaves his building in downtown Manhattan on Monday morning to head to his motorcade
Trump went to court in Manhattan the day before the New Hampshire primary
Trump was greeted by protesters amid speculation about whether he would take the stand
Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, delivered a kind of short closing argument without committing to rules for summonses and attacked the judge from the witness stand.
He was also fined a total of $15,000 for what the judge deemed a violation of a silence order regarding comments about court personnel. Trump’s lawyers are appealing the order.
In Carroll’s case, her lawyers have begged the judge to make Trump swear before any testimony that he understands and accepts the court’s restrictions on what he can say.
“There are a number of reasons why Mr. Trump might see a personal or political advantage if he deliberately turns this trial into a circus,” attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is not related, wrote in a letter to the judge.
His return to the courtroom comes at another high point in the political calendar. Trump faces former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, which could be her best chance to seize momentum after sweeping over Republican rivals in Iowa.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dramatically quit the race on Sunday. He has previously said that the four criminal charges against Trump and the cases against him helped Trump through the primaries and denied “oxygen” to other candidates.