Donald Trump’s lawyers accused E Jean Carroll of courting publicity on Wednesday, as she said her reputation was left “shattered” after accusing him of sexual assault in the 1990s.
The second day of the civil defamation trial featured several fiery exchanges.
At one point, the judge threatened to kick Mr Trump out of court after he was overheard criticising her testimony.
A jury found Mr Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll last year, but he continues to deny the claim. He was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, though not for rape, and Ms Carroll was awarded $5m. That trial was based on his 2022 remarks that her story was a “con job” and a “hoax”.
The current case focuses on different remarks – which the judge has already ruled were defamatory – that Mr Trump made while he was president in 2019, when he called her allegation “totally false”. This second trial will determine additional damages.
But much of Wednesday’s proceedings were marked by angry exchanges between Mr Trump and the judge, who threatened to revoke the former president’s right to attend trial after a lawyer for Ms Carroll heard him call the case a “witch hunt” and criticise his accuser’s memory within earshot of the jury.
Credit: bbc.com
